Le Fantome et son ange
by Such a little thing
Summary: Taking place about three years after the movie, this story deals with a young woman who's voice and meekness draw the Phantom out of hiding, and shows him that he, too, can find true love. -COMPLETE-
1. Chapter One The Opera House is sold

**Chapter One: The Opera House is sold.**

_AN: The end part of this chapter is dedicated to my friend Kath, because she inspired me to write that whole section better, with more detail, like a movie in your mind. She writes her Titanic fanfics so well that I can only hope I can be half as good as she is._

"We must sell the opera house. Without Christine, we don't have a show, and Carlotta refuses to perform. We must get as far away as possible from the Phantom of the Opera and set up elsewhere," Firmin said exasperatedly to Andre.

"I shall go then, and tell all of Paris. We will have a buyer by nightfall," Andre said as he put on his coat and walked out the door.

Sure enough, almost ten people came to look at the opera house. Within an hour, eight of those people had left after Andre and Firmin had told them about the Phantom and the events that he caused. The two left were Sarine Toumont and Jonathan Cruse, two competitive friends who shared a passion for opera. Both wanted the opera house, Phantom or not.

"Come on, Jonathan. You have your own opera house AND your own agency. At least let me have this," Sarine begged.

Jonathan smiled, "But my dear, giving up the Paris Opera House would be career suicide."

Sarine walked over to Jonathan, took his hand, and pleaded with her clear turquoise eyes. They weren't a match to Jonathan's soft brown, but she desperately wanted the opera house. Jonathan wanted the opera house so he could have Sarine, the lost love of his life, to star. Her petite body and long, straight brown hair would be new to opera, as well as her powerful voice.

Sarine stared into Jonathan's eyes and pleaded, "Jonathan, I have never wanted anything more than this. If you let me have this one thing, I will be eternally in your debt. Please, Jonathan? Please?"

Jonathan's will collapsed in her pleading stare, forcing him to nod. Sarine gave an excited squeal and hugged him tightly. When she let go, she turned to Andre.

"How much?" she asked happily.

"Four thousand," Andre replied. "That's cheap for a top-notch opera house."

Sarine nodded and gave him the money. As he and Firmin left, Andre handed her the deed. When they were gone, Sarine gave Jonathan another tight hug.

"Thank you! Thankyou thankyou thankyou!!! You are such a dear. May I ask another small favor? Do you know of any lead or chorus girls in your agency?"

"What about you?" Jonathan asked seriously. "You're good enough for lead."

Sarine laughed, "Yeah, right. Seriously, do you have any in mind?"

"None for lead," Jonathan replied thoughtfully. "But I do have chorus girls. Three I can get today."

"Tomorrow if you can. Today I want to look around, then set my bed up in the office and get some sleep," Sarine said, anxious to tour and clean the opera house.

"Wait," Jonathan said. "You're sleeping here? What about the Phantom?"

"He's probably long gone. If he isn't, then why would he bother me?" Sarine asked as she led Jonathan to the door.

"You're in his opera house?" Jonathan said, half jokingly.

Sarine laughed and gave him a hug goodbye. She then closed the door and looked around. It wasn't hard to notice it wasn't 'top-notch', but she knew it wouldn't be. She saw the only showing of 'Don Juan', and saw the phantom cut the chandelier rope. It now lay in pieces on the stage.

I hope that's fixable, Sarine thought.

Looking around, Sarine saw that the only real problem was the chandelier. The rest of the house just needed some fixing up, but mostly a good dusting and cleaning.

"A little dust never hurt anyone," she said, rolling up her sleeves and grabbing a rag from the cleaning closet.

After she wet the rag, Sarine went around the room wiping the dust and dirt off of the statues and singing the opera songs she learned when she was visiting European operas. Sometimes she had to pause and grab a ladder because some of the walls were so high. By the time she finished dusting, it was after midnight and she was exhausted. Since they were dimmed, the gas lights were casting shadows and there was always some noise. As she finished up, Sarine heard a noise from the stage.

"Hello?" she called, jittery in the dark.

When nothing answered, Sarine climbed down the ladder and set the rag on a table. Turning off the gas lights, she lit a candle and climbed onto the stage. As she crossed it, she felt as if something was watching her. Instead of looking around, she walked faster and closed the office door quickly behind her. Using her lone candle, she lit the gas lanterns around the room. Inside the room, there was a couch, a desk, two chairs and a full-length mirror affixed to the wall. Andre and Firmin had shown her the office before they left, so her stuff was already there.

Never one for mirrors, she draped her cloak over it and grabbed the small, ratty blanket off of the back of the couch. She then curled up on the couch, trying in vain to keep the cold out. Almost immediately, she fell asleep, leaving the gas lights on.

An hour later a figure emerged from the shadows. He walked over to Sarine and watched her. In her sleep she shifted, causing the blanket to fall onto the floor. The figure bent down and picked the blanket up, looking at how small and torn it was. He then tossed it aside and draped her in his own oversize cloak. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied her notebook on the desk. On the cover, it had her name embossed in delicate gold calligraphy. He walked over and felt her name with his fingers, as if it were a delicate piece of china.

"Sarine…" he whispered, turning and looking at her.

Laying a red rose on top of the notebook and placing a delicate caress on her cheek, he blew out the gas lamps and melted back into the darkness. Once again he whispered her name.

"Sarine…"


	2. Chapter Two A New Beginning

A.N: This chapter isn't as sexy as the previous one, but it does have it's importance. And don't worry Erik fans, you meet him next chapter.

Chapter Two: "A new beginning" 

Sarine was awoken abruptly the next morning by Jonathan knocking and calling her name at the door.

"Sarine? Are you awake yet?"

"Yeah," she called, sitting up. "Come in, Jonathan"

Jonathan opened the door and walked in. His medium brown hair was wind-messed, but he held a smile. He eyed the cloak curiously.

"Nice cloak," he said. "Whose is it?"

Sarine looked at him, then to the cloak still draped over her, then back to Jonathan.

"It's not yours?" she asked.

He shook his head and walked over to the desk. Picking up the rose, he looked at it oddly then handed it to her.

"Have a guest last night?" he asked, a pinch of jealousy in his voice.

"No," she replied. "I dusted, then came in here. I think I even left the gas lights on."

They both looked to the extinguished gas lamps, then back to each other.

"How? I locked the door," Sarine said, scared.

Jonathan looked at her seriously, "What if someone was already here?"

Sarine laughed, "Oh no, not that Phantom stuff again. I already said, he's probably long gone."

"What about his calling card?" Jonathan asked, gesturing to the rose that Sarine still held.

Sarine just shook her head, grabbed the cloak and walked out of the room. Jonathan followed, taking a quick look back in the room before closing the door. Sarine walked quickly through backstage and emerged stage right. At center stage there was a group of three girls. Sarine walked over to them.

"Hello," she said to them, hiding the rose and the cloak behind her back. "I'm Sarine Toumont. I'm twenty-three, and the owner of this gorgeous opera house. And, if I am able, I hope I will be your director."

The tall brunette to her right smiled at her, "I'm Amy Trouge. Twenty. Soprano one chorus."

Sarine shook Amy's hand and turned to the next girl, "What's your name?"

"Tara Fischer," the short blonde across from Sarine said. "I'm twenty as well, but I'm an alto chorus."

"I'm Rose Maria. I'm eighteen, and also a soprano one chorus." The short redhead to Sarine's left said.

"I'm very glad to meet you all," Sarine said. "This is a new beginning, ladies. Our shows will be more extravagant and perfect than any ever performed."

"What show are we doing?" Amy asked.

"Well," Sarine started. "I haven't a show yet. I wanted to see how many people show up first. Shall we warm up?"

Sarine walked over to the piano that was hidden back stage and played a note. The girls sang it with her. They warmed up for about another half-hour. When they were done, Rose and Tara went to the dancer's quarters to find beds. As Amy walked over to her, Sarine pushed the cloak and rose further under the piano, which is were she placed them when she walked over.

"Sarine? May I be so frank as to ask a question?" Amy asked.

"Sure," Sarine replied.

"Um…" Amy said. "If you're having trouble finding a show, why don't you just ask the Phantom? He wrote 'Don Juan'."

Sarine laughed, "If the Phantom were here, he would let us know of his presence. He has not done so yet."

"I don't know…" Amy said, pulling the cloak and rose from under the piano. "This looks like a sign of his presence."

"It's just a flower and a cloak. They could belong to anyone," Sarine defended.

"But who else puts a black ribbon around a red rose? I think the Phantom has taken a liking to you," Amy said.

"Giving me a rose does not mean he's taken a liking to me," Sarine protested. "Maybe he just wants us to do a good opera."

"I bet that if you left a note for him asking for an opera, tomorrow you'll find one under the rose. This is just a new beginning to an old story," Amy said with a note of closing in her voice.

After that, Amy handed the cloak and the rose back to Sarine and walked to the dorms. Sarine walked the other way to her office. She walked in, placed the rose and cloak on the corner of her desk, sat down, and eyed the pen.

Should I? she thought.

Yes, she should. And she did. She took a sheet of paper out of her notebook and wrote:

Monsieur le Fantome,

Being a full-time resident of this opera house, you have undoubtedly noticed new management. I myself am the new owner and am asking for help. We have no opera to perform, and I loved 'Don Juan'. I have heard of you as a great composer and architect, which is why I am asking you for help. Please assist us in putting on shows better than any before.

Sincerely,

Sarine M. Toumont

After she signed her name, she folded the letter up and sealed it with wax. She then folded the cape up, placed it on the desk, and placed the letter on top of it. Curling up under the tatty blanket, she lay on the couch and fell asleep, this time remembering to blow the lights out.


	3. Chapter Three Erik le Fantome

A.N: Hey everyone! I really thank you for your reviews. I print them all out, and stick them in my story's notebook so all your sweet words can inspire me. And so, I have a treat for you. A sexy, seducing chapter. The one you've all been waiting for… . And please don't take the one dialogue thing about Erik/ Scary pairing. It just came out, and this fic needed some comedy.

Chapter Three: Erik le Fantome 

The next morning Sarine woke up to find the cape covering her once again. She flung it back and jumped off the couch. She looked to her desk hopefully.

Instead of an opera, there was a note under the black-ribboned rose. Sarine walked over and picked up the note. The seal was blood red with a skull protruding. She broke the seal and pulled the letter out. She red the delicate handwriting quickly:

Ms. Sarine,

I hope this note has proven my presence to you. I will help you, but under a few conditions. I will state these conditions when I visit later today. And yes, I have indeed taken a liking to you. And your voice.

Your humble servant,

O. G.

Sarine's hands shook as she reread the note. What chilled her most were the references to her conversations with Amy.

Shakily, she turned and folded up the cape. Picking up the rose and note, she walked out of the office. From backstage she could hear the girls singing silly children's songs. She walked out and over to them.

"Amy? Can I talk to you privately for a moment?" Sarine asked.

Amy nodded and walked away from the group with Sarine. Silently Sarine handed Amy the note. Reading it, Amy's eyes widened.

"He's coming here?" Amy asked when she finished. "Wow….. I told you he liked you."

Sarine gave Amy a little shove and laughed. Then her face got serious.

"What should I do? What if I am unable to meet his conditions? Will we be cursed as Andre and Firmin were?" She asked.

Amy gave Sarine a hug, "You'll be fine. The Phantom never hurt anyone he's taken a liking to. I mean, look at Christine Daae. She's fine. Andre and Firmin just didn't strike the Phantom's fancy… I hope…"

Sarine gasped then laughed. She then looked around the opera house. Her eyes fell on the shattered chandelier.

"Amy," Sarine asked. "Can you do a few songs with the girls? I want to see what I can do with the chandelier."

"No problem, and have fun," Amy said sarcastically.

As Amy walked back to Tara and Rose, Sarine walked over to the shattered remains of the chandelier. Most of he pieces were broken into two or three pieces, but some were shattered completely and unfixable. She was about to go to the janitor's closet for glue when Rose called her name.

"Sarine! Please come over here!"

Sarine ran to the girls, "What? What is it?"

Amy turned all the girls away from the seats and huddled them closer together.

"We just saw someone in box five. They're still there," Amy explained. "I think it's him."

"Who?" Tara asked, frightened.

Sarine placed a hand on Tara's shoulder and looked towards box five. Sure enough, a silhouette of a man was in there.

"I will go and speak to him," Sarine said, and started to go.

"Wait," Amy said, lying a hand on Sarine's arm. "Want me to go with you?"

Sarine just shook her head and headed backstage. Walking quickly through the maze of hallways, she kept going until she emerged in the lobby. From there she took the steps to the upper level boxes. The door to box five was slightly ajar. Shaking, she grasped the handle and pulled slowly.

Inside the box, a man was sitting with his back to her. She tried to see his face, but he was very good at hiding it. When he turned to her, she let out a cry of surprise.

On this man's face was a mask that contrasted his black hair so sharply, yet complemented it perfectly. It covered the right half of his face, all the way down to his upper lip. He was dressed in all black, save for the bit of collar that stuck out and the mask. He seemed to have an air of importance around him, yet also an air of uncertainty.

When he stood up, Sarine gasped again. The man was a full head taller than she was, and very well built. But as menacing as his physical body was, he was ever so graceful as he took her hand in his and kissed the back of it gently, yet firmly. His striking green eyes never left hers, except when they closed as his lips pressed to her hand. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a rose with a black ribbon around it, and pressed it into the hand he still held.

"Can you guess why I only give one rose?" He asked, his deep voice enticing and his eyes locked on hers.

Sarine shook her head.

"I give one rose because it shows importance. A dozen shows the receiver that they are like eleven others. A solitary rose shows that the receiver that they are special. That they stand out from others," The masked man explained, looking down at the rose in her hand.

Sarine's eyes were mystified by his, until she snapped out of it and asked, "What's your name?"

A small laugh came from the man, "I go by many. The Phantom. Opera ghost. Sometimes I'm simply known as 'him'. But, if you wish to know, my birth name is Erik."

"Erik…" Sarine repeated, curtsying deeply. "I'm Sarine."

"I know. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you at last," Erik said, kissing her hand again.

"Um…" Sarine started as she became mystified again. Then she broke out of it. "I have your cloak downstairs if you require it."

Erik shook his head and took her hands with the tips of his fingers, as if he were afraid to touch her. When she didn't pull back, he wrapped his hands firmly around both of hers. In the middle was the rose, its black ribbon spilling over both their hands. Sarine looked to their hands, then back to Erik's face. As she opened her mouth to say something, they both heard Amy calling Sarine. Quickly Erik pulled his hands away, but Sarine could still feel the warmth where they had been. She looked away from him in time to see Amy coming up the stairwell.

"Um…" Amy started, wary of what to say. "The girls wish to speak with you, Sarine. Can you come downstairs?"

"Sure," Sarine said, taking Erik's hand to lead him downstairs.

She barely got a step before she was pulled to a stop. Turning to look at Erik, she saw he hadn't moved, only stared in disbelief at their intertwined hands. Sarine reached out and touched his face gently. He jumped at the feel of her fingers, and his eyes flew to hers.

"Come on. We have to go downstairs," Sarine said with a sweet smile.

She turned to walk, and this time he followed. She was talking to Amy, but her hand stayed in his. He wasn't watching their hands, nor the floor. He was watching her. The entire time they were walking, his eyes never left her. He didn't need to see where he was going, as long as she led him. He would follow her to the ends of the earth, simply because she touched his face. Not out of pity, not because she was being deceived. She did it because she simply wanted to. He squeezed her hand slightly tighter, barely noticeable. Sarine looked back and smiled.

And he fell in love.


	4. Chapter Four Guide and Guardian

A.N: This is going along pretty smoothly. I hope you all liked the previous chapter. And to answer some questions, I wanted the Phantom to "reveal" himself because, I think, that because he hid from the world and Christine at first, that's why he lost her, and he realizes this, and doesn't want to make the same mistake.

Chapter Four: Guide and Guardian 

As Amy, Sarine and Erik walked onto the stage, Tara and Rose silenced. By the looks on their faces, you could tell they were frightened. Sarine walked over to them, waiting for the onslaught of questions.

Sure enough, Tara pulled her away from Erik and to the group of girls.

"Who is he?"

"What's his name?"

"Why was he holding your hand?"

"Can he sing in our opera?"

"Slow down!" Sarine said exasperatedly. "First of all, his name is Erik. He is the Phantom, as impossible as that may seem. And I don't know if he'll sing. You have to ask him."

"But he's the Phantom of the Opera!" Rose exclaimed.

"And?"

They all turned to where Erik was standing, but he wasn't there. They looked around and found him kneeling at the chandelier. Sarine walked over and kneeled beside him.

"I was trying to fix that earlier," She said, picking up a broken piece. "You really did a good job on it."

He looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry. It seemed the only option at the time. If you'd like, I could fix it for you."

"If it's fixable," Sarine said.

"Anything's possible."

And with that said, he went to work. Taking off his jacket and vest, he folded them neatly and placed them to the side. He took a little pen-like tool out of his pocket and started carving the pieces of glass. He paused when he realized she was still next to him. He looked over to her.

"Don't you have an opera to practice?" he asked.

"No," Sarine replied sheepishly. "I have yet to find one."

Erik smirked and turned to the girls, "May one of you ladies please go up to box five and bring down the package I left on the seat?"

When Tara ran to get it, Erik turned back to Sarine, who looked shocked.

"You did ask for an opera, did you not?" he asked, still smirking.

"You wrote an opera…" Sarine began, bewildered. "Because I asked you to?"

He nodded, looking back to the piece in his hand, "I heard you singing that day, when you were cleaning. I knew then that I wanted you in an opera. So, I wrote one for you."

"But I wouldn't be singing," Sarine said. "I don't sing on stage."

"You do now. That's my first condition. My second is that box five is to be left empty for my use. And the third is that I design the costumes and the sets," Erik said, focusing on the glass shard in his hand.

"Will you help us?" Sarine said, placing her hand over Erik's. "Will you sing? I'll accept your conditions if you do."

Erik hesitated for a moment, then pulled his hand from under hers and caressed her cheek, "It's a deal."

As if to finalize the deal, he pulled her hands up to his lips and kissed them both.

"Sarine! Come look at this!" Tara yelled from the side of the stage.

Erik nodded his head in Tara's direction, "Go look at your opera."

He went back to carving the pieces of glass. Sarine watched him for a moment then stood up and walked over to Tara, who was already surrounded by the others. Silently Tara handed the packet to her.

The outside casing was made of soft leather, and the words "The Phantom of the Opera" were written in gold on the cover. Opening it, there was a script and sheet music inside. Sarine took out the parts and handed them to the girls, giving Amy the part of Madame Giry, the part of Meg to Tara, and Carlotta's part to Rose. She reluctantly kept the part of Christine for herself.

"I don't want to do this…" she whispered.

"What?" Tara asked. "The opera?"

"No, the part. I'm not good on stage. I freeze up," She said, shaking.

"Did you tell Erik that?" Amy asked, helping Sarine sit down on the stage.

"No," She said, starting to cry. "He made our opera, he's fixing the chandelier, and he's singing for us. I couldn't say no, but I'm so scared…"

She broke down then, and sobbing, hid her head in her hands. Erik heard her crying and looked up. Putting the tool and glass down, he stood and started to walk over.

"Sarine," Tara said, standing her up. "You'll have to tell him if you don't go to your office now. He's coming over here."

Sarine looked over and saw him coming, so she ran. Erik ran after her, but was stopped by Amy taking his arm.

"She needs time to think," Amy told him. "She'll be alright."

"That's what I thought the last time a girl I loved cried. And I ended up hurting then losing her," He replied, pulling his arm from Amy's grasp and going off stage.

He didn't need to touch the door of the office. Well, not the main door, anyway. Hidden in the wall was a secret door that he made years ago. He opened it and walked in, hiding in the shadows of the corner.

Lying on the couch, sobbing, was Sarine. She had pulled her hair tie out, and now her hair spilled out over her back and hid her face. Erik could see that she had thrown things about the room. Luckily he mirror, which was actually a door, was left untouched. He had made most of the mirrors in the opera house doors, for escape reasons. They can easily be slid aside. And shattered.

Gathering his courage, Erik stepped from the shadows and walked to her. Hesitating at first, he laid a hand on her back. Sarine curled up tightly, purposefully hiding her face. Erik brushed the hair away from her face and pulled her to a sitting position. He then pulled her in a tight embrace against him. Sarine wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder.

"I can't… I can't…" she kept sobbing.

"Shh…. It's okay… Everything will be alright," Erik whispered.

"I'm so scared… I can't sing in front of everyone… I can't…"

Erik pulled her closer and rested his head on hers, whispering to her, "It's alright. Your angel of music is guarding and guiding you. Your angel will help you. I'm here, my sweet Sarine."

Slowly her sobbing stopped as she fell asleep. Erik laid her back down and covered her with her cloak that he pulled off the mirror. Almost as an afterthought, he lay behind her with his back to the couch. He draped his arm over her waist and pulled her closer to him. Quietly, he sang to her as he too fell asleep.

"You alone can make my song take flight. You helped me make the music of the night."


	5. Chapter Five The Phantom's Lair

A.N: Well, this chapter, when hand-written, is about five pages longer than the other chapters. Which means it's a chapter and a half. It's a special treat to all my dedicated fans who review every chapter, and even to those who don't, because when they do review, it's so heartfelt that I am absolutely inspired to write more. So, here it is, chapter five.

Chapter Five: The Phantom's Lair

Erik woke up early the next morning to Sarine nuzzling her face into his chest. Sometime during the night she had turned over, and he had wrapped both of his arms tightly around her. He gently pulled his arm out from under her and sat up. Picking up his mask off of the desk, he put it on and got up off the couch.

Before leaving, he wrote her a quick note, hesitantly signing it Erik. He was so used to signing things O.G. that he knew he had to get into the habit of signing his real name to her notes. He folded the note up, placed a caress on Sarine's cheek, and left the office. Quickly he walked to the stage and looked for his jacket. He found it right where he left it, next to the shattered chandelier.

Kneeling down, Erik picked up his carving tool and a piece of the chandelier. Carving them like puzzle pieces, he fit all the pieces together, moving others to replace the shattered pieces. Using the chains that held the old pieces, he hooked them to the new pieces then to the chandelier. Walking to get new gas bulbs, he came back to find Amy, Rose, Tara and Jonathan walking in.

"Who the hell are you?" Jonathan asked.

Before Erik could answer, Amy replied, "That's the man I told you about."

Jonathan nodded curtly to Erik, "Sarine's in her office, then?"

Erik nodded as he replaced the bulbs. After Jonathan left, Erik looked at the girls.

"Can you please take these lead ropes as I pull the chandelier up? Just wait till I tell you," Erik said, walking backstage.

A few minutes later, Erik yelled "GO!" down to the girls. As he pulled the chandelier up, the girls led it to the center of the theater. It looked like someone had pressed rewind as the chandelier slowly took it's place it the theatre.

After he had the chandelier secured, Erik came back down to the stage and swept up the left over pieces of glass. He just finished when Jonathan and Sarine walked out to the stage. When Sarine saw that the chandelier was completely restored, her jaw dropped and she looked to Erik.

"You…you fixed it?" she said, looking at the chandelier in shock.

When Erik smiled and looked down at his hands, Sarine ran over to him and gave him a hug. Erik stood in shock for a moment before wrapping his arms tightly around her and laying his face in the cook of her neck.

"I love you," he whispered, to both his and Sarine's shock.

They both pulled back and looked at each other. Sarine looked from Erik to Jonathan, then took Erik's hand and led him offstage quickly, telling Jonathan that they'll be right back. Sarine led him through the passageways until they emerged on the roof. She closed the door behind them.

"What the hell was that?" she asked, her back to him.

Erik looked at her back, hurt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it."

As Erik turned to walk away, Sarine spun to him and flung her arms wide, "It's not that! Oh goodness, it's not that. It's where you said it. Jonathan has liked me since we met, but I don't like him like that. He's more of a big brother. You… you're not. I would have been able to respond to you if you had told me in private."

Erik turned back to look at her. She had turned to face Paris, her arms wrapped around herself as a single tear fell down her cheek.

"So if I told you now, would you respond?" he asked, walking over to her.

Sarine nodded, looking at him. Erik lifted her chin with his hand and wiped away the tear with the other. Slowly he moved closer to her until they were a breath apart.

"I love you."

With that, he pressed his lips to hers. Hoping to god that she would react, he smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. They stood in the embrace for a while, taking a break only to breathe. When they both finally pulled back, Erik pulled her close to him.

"I want to show you something," he whispered to her.

He sadly pulled himself away from her and took her hand. Taking her back down the stairwell, he took her back to stage level. Then he took her into her office and pulled her over to the mirror.

"The mirror?" she asked, looking at him.

He placed a finger to her lips and silently slid the mirror face. Sarine gasped as she saw a long hall of candelabra. Erik took her by the waist and led her down the hall. He watched her and smiled at her bewildered face as she looked at the hands holding the candelabra. At the end of the hallway, he covered her eyes. Walking slowly, he led her into his lair.

"Open your eyes," he whispered into her ear.

Pulling his hands away from her eyes and placing them on her hips, he watched her as she took in his home. In front of them, not even five feet away, was a large lake that lapped the ground gently. To their left was a bedroom, the silken-clad swan bed partially concealed by a black lace curtain. To the right was a large ornately carved pipe organ, which was covered with pencils, music, roses and candles. Across the lake was a portcullis, with roses covering it. Sarine looked to him.

"You live here?" she whispered, as they were only a few inches apart.

"Yes," Erik replied, brushing his lips against hers. "And so can you, if you wish."

Sarine stepped from him and walked to the organ. She sat down and placed her fingers on the keys. Playing a sweet tune, she sang along. Erik walked over to her and watched. After a moment, he sat down and began harmonizing on the bass end of the organ. Slowly he sang along, their voices intertwining. Sarine, only being an intermediate player, had to watch her fingers as she played. Erik just watched her as they both wrote their duet. When they finished, Sarine stood up and leaned against the organ, looking at Erik.

"Will you play a song from the opera?" she asked, picking up a rose.

"Which one?" he asked, pulling out his set of sheet music.

"Hmm…" she said, reading the titles. "All I Ask."

Erik smiled at her, "That's a duet. You'd have to join in."

Sarine smiled as Erik started playing. She pulled the white ribbon out of her hair and combed it with her fingers as Erik started singing.

"No more talk of darkness

Forget these wide-eyed fears

I'm here, nothing can harm you

My words will warm and calm you

Let me be your freedom

Let daylight dry your tears

I'm here, with you and beside you

To guard you and to guide you."

Sarine tied her white ribbon around the rose as she sang, "Say you love me every waking moment.

Turn my head with talk of summertime

Say you need me with you now and always

Promise me that all you say is true

That's all I ask of you."

With that, she handed him the rose. He stopped playing, took it, and looked at her.

"Say you love me," she sang.

"You know I do," he sang back.

"Love me, that's all I ask of you," they sang, Erik standing up and taking her hand.

Sarine looked him deep in the eyes, then to his rose. She picked up another rose off of the organ, one that already had a black ribbon on it. She placed that in his hand next to the rose she gave him.

"Black is for death, darkness, sadness, and despair," she said, wrapping her hands around his. "White is life, happiness, light. One cannot survive without the other. Without light, there is no darkness to compare it to. Without death, there is no room for life. Nothing is just black and white, just varying shades of gray."

Erik listened, his eyes fixed on hers. When she finished, he silently took the ribbons off of the roses. Twisting them together, he tied the two roses to each other. Sarine smiled and leaned against him. He placed the roses on the keys of the organ and wrapped his arms around her. Somewhere a clock chimed ten o' clock.

"It's ten o' clock!" Sarine asked, turning in shock. "I have to get back! Jonathan will freak if I don't get back."

Erik caressed her cheek, "To hell with Jonathan. Stay here with me… please…"

Sarine looked to him and reached out to touch his face. Erik pulled back. Sarine pulled out of his arms and turned away.

"How can you say you love me when you don't even trust me enough to touch your face?" she said, tears of anger flowing down her cheek. "It's not like I'm going to pull your mask off!"

She whirled to face him, screaming, "WHEN WILL YOU SEE THAT I'M NOT CHRISTINE!"

She fell to her knees, crying. Erik reached to touch her, but she hit his hand away. When he knelt down and wrapped his arms around her, she pushed him on his back, stood up, and ran.

Running down the candelabra hallway, she pushed past the open mirror and closed it so sharply that the glass shattered, covering her and cutting her all over. She turned to face the hallway and yelled loudly, all of her anger and pain flowing out. She turned and pounded on the desk, causing the glass in her hands to embed deeper.

Covered in blood, she fell onto the couch, crying herself to sleep for the second night in a row.


	6. Chapter Six To tell the Truth

A.N: Man, I put way too many author notes at the beginning of my chapters. Anyway, this one is necessary, because I don't want Erik to sound like a perv. I don't know if they did this back then, but for the sake of the story, they did wear garments underneath their corsets. And thanks for all of your reviews. I know Patience is a virtue, but it sure as heck isn't one of mine. And to reply to one of the comments, I chose Sarine because I wanted her to seem serene, but be different spelling and I wanted to easily replace Christine's name in the songs so it wouldn't go offbeat. ,

Chapter Six: To Tell the Truth

After Sarine left, Erik beat himself up inside. He had finally found someone who loved him for who he is, and he hurt her over something trivial.

"So goddamn STUPID!" he yelled, hitting the ground with his hands.

It was then that he heard the glass shattering and Sarine's yell. He stood up and ran down the hallway. When he got to where the mirror should be, he saw right to the desk. Stepping on a piece of glass, he looked down. To his horror, the mirror was in pieces, floating in a pool of blood. He ran into the room and saw Sarine on the couch, blood spilling from her wounds.

"Oh my god! Sarine!" he cried, running over and picking her up.

He immediately carried back into his lair and laid her on the ground in front of the organ. Finding some bandages, he carefully pulled the pieces of glass out, washed the blood away, and wrapped her up. Taking her out of the bloody dress, he undid the corset and put on a black costume nightdress that was used for an earlier production. He then twisted her hair into a braid and secured it with a ribbon. Picking her up, he walked to the bedroom. Gently, he laid her down and covered her with the sheets. Then he knelt down and, for the first time in his life, prayed.

"Oh god, please don't take her away from me. I apologize for cursing you so many times. I don't care about anything anymore, except her. Please… I couldn't bear to lose her…"

He stood back up and looked at her. Her scream still echoed in his mind, haunting him. He knew he had one thing to do, and he would need the rest of the night to gather up the courage to do it. Walking out of the room, he sat down at the organ and began writing and composing their duet.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Sarine woke up and looked around. Sitting up she saw that she was in Erik's bed, covered in bandages. The black nightdress had become tangled and twisted, so she got out of the bed and straightened it. Erik wasn't in the room, so she went into the main part of the lair looking for him. There she saw him sitting at the organ, going over some sheet music. He looked up when he felt her stare.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, putting the music down and standing up.

"I feel like someone hit me with a mirror…" she said, looking into the lake.

Erik smiled and walked over to her. He gently touched her face with his hands. She looked at him and he smiled, stroking her cheek.

"I wish I could be like you, not caring what anyone thought, no fear of anyone reaching out to touch me. I am too protective of my secret, and I shouldn't be so," he said, taking her hands. "At least not with you. I realize that you're not Christine. Christine would have pulled my mask off the first chance she got. And she did. When I brought her down here, one of the first things she did was take off my mask, and she hated what was under it. I was simply afraid you would be the same way. But I love you, and it you hate what is under my mask, then so be it. But at least you have the chance to make the choice."

Saying that, he put her hands on his face and closed his eyes. Sarine slowly pulled the mask off. When her scream didn't come, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She was looking at him sadly, her fingers tracing the grooves of his scars and caressing his face. He looked at her, curious.

"I know it's hideous…" he said. "Please don't think of me only as a face…"

Sarine placed a finger to his lips, silencing him. Still holding his face in her hands, she pulled him closer and kissed him. He kissed her back with all the love in his heart. Then he pulled her close to him as tears fell down his face.

"What are you talking about hideous," Sarine laughed through her tears. "I see worse things in the mirror in the morning. I mean, my hair itself is a monster."

They both laughed and hugged each other tightly. Erik finally let her go and looked at her. She may not have Christine's looks, but to him she was the most beautiful person in the world. When he moved to pick up his mask, Sarine stopped him.

"It's your home," she said. "And it's me. You don't have to hide yourself in the presence of either."

Erik smiled as she walked over to the organ and picked up the music he was holding earlier. He walked over and placed his hands on her waist, looking down at the music. He had written and added lyrics to the song that they were playing the other day.

"Light and Darkness," she said, reading the title then looking at him. "I love it."

The clock in the distance told them that it was eleven o'clock.

"We'd better get some rest," Erik said, turning her and kissing both of her hands. "You can sleep here if you'd like."

"I would like that very much," she replied, wrapping her arm around his waist.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he blew out most of the candles and led her back to the bedroom. When they were at he bed, he pulled the sheets back so she could climb in. She did and watched him as he walked around the bed and got under the sheets. He moved closer to her and draped his arm over her waist. She in turn draped her arm over his and clasped his hand. She looked back and kissed him.

"Will you sing me to sleep again?" she asked against his lips.

"I'll sing you to the moon and back, sweet Sarine."

As she turned back over, Erik leaned close to her and sang to her of promises and true love. And finally he could sing it with his whole heart, knowing she could too.


	7. Chapter Seven A Curse of Broken Hearts

A.N: This is a bit of a slow chapter, and so will the next one. I want to have a little less drama before I introduce Christine and Raoul into the mix… -) I'm all evil now… And, if you couldn't tell, Jonathan and Sarine are both British.

Chapter Seven: A curse of broken hearts

Sarine woke up the next morning before Erik and silently got out of bed. Finding more costume dresses in a closet in the room, she got dressed and walked out, leaving a white ribboned rose on the pillow. She walked through the hallway into her office, quickly fixed her hair, then left. Hoping to practice her part before anyone awoke, she walked out to the stage and picked up the music off of the floor. Damning herself for throwing it on the ground when she walked out yesterday, she dusted it off and recited the script.

'**Madame Giry:**

**Christine Daae could sing it sir. **

**Andre:**

**What? A chorus girl? Very silly.**

**Madame Giry:**

**She has been taking lessons from a great teacher.**

**Andre:**

…**Who?**

**Christine:**

**I don't know his name, Monsieur.**

**Madame Giry:**

**Let her sing for you, Monsieur.**

**(Andre gestures for her to take center stage and the conductor begins. 'Think of Me')**

**Think of me**

**Think of me fondly**

**When we've said goodbye**

**Remember me**

**Once in a while**

**Please promise me you'll try**

**Then you'll find**

**That once again you long**

**To take your heart back and be free**

**If you ever find a moment**

**Spare a thought for me**

**(outfit changes to concert dress)**

**We never said our love was evergreen**

**Or as unchanging as the sea**

**But if you can still remember**

**Stop and think of me**

**Think of all the things we've shared and seen**

**Don't think about the way things might have been**

**Think of me**

**Think of me waking**

**Silent and resigned**

**Imagine me**

**Trying too hard to put you from my mind**

**Recall those days**

**Look back on all those times**

**Think of the things we'll never do**

**There will never be a day**

**When I won't think of you!**

"Bravo!" came a cry from the audience.

"Who is it?" Sarine asked into the darkness.

Slowly the lights brightened and there was Jonathan, slowly turning the dial. He was a mess, one side of his shirt was untucked, his hair was a mess, and he was wobbling very badly.

"My god!" Sarine yelled, jumping off the stage and running over to him. She held him at an arms distance. "Jonathan, you're bloody drunk!"

"Well I should bloody well be!" he said, hobbling away from her towards the stage. "I wait for you to come…back. You d-didn't. 'Honest girl who's gone and slept with her patron.' Indeed! More like 'slept with her Phantom'."

Sarine looked at him, shell-shocked, "How dare you!"

Jonathan turned to her, more angry and hurt than drunk, "Oh please. Your corset isn't even tied. You slept with him just to get an opera."

Sarine slapped him so hard that he fell down, his hand to his face. He stood back up, looked at the blood from his lip, and then backhanded Sarine. She fell, hitting her head hard on the floor.

"Where's Sarine?" Erik asked, walking onstage.

Jonathan looked at Erik with the most distaste he could muster. He kicked Sarine lightly.

"Here's your little whore," he said, turning to leave.

Erik jumped off the stage and walked over. When he saw Sarine collapsed on the floor, he ran over and picked her up. Making sure she was okay, he pulled her close in an embrace, then set her unconscious body back on the floor gently. He then stood up, walked swiftly to Jonathan, and whirled him around.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Erik asked. "You had no right!"

Jonathan shoved Erik off of him, "I've known and loved her for three years. You have known her, what, five days? YOU had no right."

Knowing best what a broken-hearted man's anger can do, Erik just let Jonathan walk out. Walking back to Sarine, he saw that Jonathan bumped into Amy and Rose on his way out. They looked oddly to Jonathan, then to Erik.

"What's up with him?" Rose asked, setting down a bag full of groceries.

"A broken heart," Erik said, kneeling and looking at Sarine. "Can either of you go and get a wet rag so I can try to clean and wake Sarine up?"

When Rose ran to get the rag, Amy kneeled down next to Erik, "He didn't mean it. He rarely drinks, but when he does, he's bad. And losing Sarine didn't help any either. You shouldn't judge him by this."

"I know," Erik said, taking the rage as Rose came back and placing it on Sarine's forehead. "I know what it feels like. He must have a will much stronger than I do. I would have gone crazy and threatened his life. By just walking away, he kept her love and her respect."

As Sarine came to, she looked around, "Where's Jonathan?"

"He left," Amy said, taking the rag and wiping the blood away from Sarine's lip and the cuts on her face that opened. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing. He accused me of sleeping with Erik just to get an opera, so I slapped him," Sarine said, sitting up with Erik's help.

"Did you?" Rose asked.

Sarine glared at her, "No, I did not. I'm not like that."

Erik helped Sarine stand up and held her to him as he led her to the stage. He lifted her up and sat her on the edge. Sarine looked at everyone and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Well, one drama after another," she said, laughing. "Well, we might want to get to work. We are so behind because of my terrible antics. Erik, can you teach the chorus songs to the girls? I'm going to go see if the set support system still works."

"Actually, I can practice with the girls. We'd all feel better if you were accompanied. Especially by Erik because he knows the fly system so well," Amy said, taking the music from Erik.

Erik looked at Sarine and smiled mischievously. He walked over, picked her up, and carried her off.

"They'll never get any work done that way," Tara said, coming onto the stage.


	8. Chapter Eight Anywhere You Go Let Me Go ...

A.N: Well, after some time, I finally have a chapter out. Forgive me for taking so long, I got so entranced by the next chapter that I didn't have time to write this one... So I hope you forgive me and enjoy. .

**Chapter Eight:** **Anywhere you go let me go too**

As a safety measure, Erik climbed through the fly system first. Holding hands, they walked slowly. They had a list so they could write down which ropes needed replacing.

"This rope looks a little frayed. Do you think it needs to be replaced?" Sarine asked, examining a rope.

"Hmm..." Erik said thoughtfully, examining the rope. "I would replace it, just in case."

Sarine nodded, writing down the rope number. Erik looked at her, her face red and her black eye becoming apparent. He turned her head gently to look at him. She gave him a light smile.

"Are you alright? I can see you're pretty shaken under that smile," Erik said, taking her hands.

"Yeah," she said, looking down at their hands. "I just hate when Jonathan's mad at me. He was always there for me, my shoulder to cry on. He was right there for me when Xander died."

Erik raised an eyebrow, "Who's Xander?"

"My ex-fiancée," she replied, pulling her hands away and examining the next rope. "We met at an opera house in Venice. I was in the chorus, and he was in the audience. There were so many other girls in the chorus, yet he came to me after the show and told me that my voice was the only one he heard. He came to every show after that, sitting in the front row and bringing me a bouquet of roses. Every night he asked me out to dinner, and every night I refused. Finally, I broke down and agreed. He took me out every night after that, either to the theatre or to dinner. Finally, after two months, he proposed. I agreed and everything was perfect. We were to be married in the fall. That year, in June, he was sent to Africa on business. He worked as an architect for a major company. But when he came back, he was very sick. He had caught a disease there, and the doctors gave him a month, maybe less. The night he died, he told me that he wanted me to get married. He said that if I find someone who I can't take my eyes off of, the go for him. He wanted me to be happy, even if it wasn't with him. He died with me holding his hand."

A single tear fell down her cheek at the memory. Erik took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. He wiped the tear away with his finger.

"How does Jonathan figure in that?" Erik asked, pulling her in an embrace.

Sarine smiled through her tears, "He was to be Xander's best man. They were the closest friends I have ever seen. They both worked at the same company, and they both went to Africa. Jonathan could never forgive himself for Xander getting sick and not him. He left Venice with me, and we came here to Paris. Xander told Jonathan that he wanted me to star in an opera. That's why he wanted so badly for me to star in one here. Both him and Xander knew I got stage fright on my own on the stage, but Xander always tried helping me. After he died, it was Jonathan who suggested that I take Xander's last name, so I did. I really miss him… You're a lot like him, with music. You're both so determined to see me freeze on stage, I swear you both are evil!"

They both laughed. Erik held her tightly to him. He never wanted to let her go. She shouldn't have to bear all of this pain alone. He was glad that she had told him. In time he, too, would tell her of his lost love. But not yet.

"Sarine? Erik? Can you come down here for a moment?" Amy called up.

"Be right down!" Sarine replied, pulling herself away from Erik.

They both walked carefully to the ladders, Sarine going down first. When they both were down, they walked over to the girls.

"Now Erik," Amy began, showing him the sheet music. "All I Ask. Is it between Christine and the Phantom, or Christine and Raoul?"

Erik flinched at the memory of the vicomte's arms around Christine, "Christine and Raoul. Do we have someone for a Raoul?"

"I know someone," Tara said.

"Can you take the place of Raoul for now? I want to go over the songs," Amy said to Erik.

Erik nodded and escorted Sarine to center stage. Amy started playing and Erik took Sarine's face in his hands.

"No more talk of darkness

Forget these wide-eyed fears

I'm here, nothing can harm you

My words will warm and calm you

Let me be your freedom

Let daylight dry your tears

I'm here, with you, beside you

To guard you and to guide you."

Erik could feel Sarine starting to shake. When she began to sing, it was quiet and shaky. He placed his hand on her stomach and pushed, causing her to sing louder.

"Say you love me every waking moment

Turn my head with talk of summertime

Say you need me with you, now and always

Promise me that all you say is true…

That's all I ask of you"

Erik smiled as he felt her shaking subside. He took her hands lovingly.

"Let me be your shelter

Let me be your light

You're safe, no one will find you

Your fears are far behind you"

Sarine sang her next part loudly and firmly, knowing that her heart was behind every word she was singing to Erik.

"All I want is freedom

A world with no more night

And you, always beside me

To hold me and to hide me."

Erik took Sarine's face in one hand, holding her hand to his heart with the other.

"Then say you'll share with me

One love, one lifetime

Let me lead you from your solitude

Say you need me with you

Here, beside you

Anywhere you go, let me go too

Sarine, that's all I ask of you."

Sarine smiled when he replaced Christine's name with hers. She took a step closer to him.

"Say you'll share with me

One love, one lifetime

Say the word and I will follow you"

Erik took Sarine's face with both hands and pulled her to him. He gently placed his forehead to hers. She reached up to cover his hands with hers. They both sang a promise to each other.

"Share each day with me

Each night, each morning"

Sarine backed her head off and lightly tapped Erik's nose with her finger. She laughed as she sang

"Say you love me"

Without skipping a beat, Erik sang back

"You know I do"

With their whole hearts, they leaned in as they sang

"Love me, that's all I ask of you"

They moved the final distance and their lips touched. As catcalls came from Tara and Rose, they both smiled in the kiss. Reluctantly they pulled back to finish the song.

"Anywhere you go, let me go too

Love me, that's all I ask of you"

They shared another kiss, this one more passionate than the previous one. Erik was so glad that he could think of the song and remember this moment, not the one years ago. Every time he will think of this song from then on, it will be for him and Sarine, not Raoul and Christine. He broke the kiss and pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. He loved her, and would do anything for her. Even reveal his face to the public again at the end of Point of No Return. He would give his life, and even his freedom, to see her sing in his opera.


	9. Chapter Nine Forgive and Forget

A.N: I am so so so sorry for taking so long to get this out… A little drama in my life… But here it is! Chapter Nine!

**Chapter Nine: Forgive and Forget**

After they finished the song, Amy asked Erik to stay and help out with teaching the girls their parts. Sarine silently walked to the door. Erik noticed she was gone and turned to her.

"Sarine? Where are you going?" he asked, walking to her.

She turned to him and smiled, "Oh, out."

Erik took her hands, "To see Jonathan?"

She nodded sheepishly. Looking at him, she pleaded with her eyes. She always did that when she wanted something badly. But Erik had already made up his mind. He knew that she had to talk to him.

"Be careful. If you're not back by nine, I'm coming after you," Erik said, taking her face in his hands and giving her a quick kiss.

"Bye," she whispered as he turned back to the stage.

She, in turn, turned and walked out of the opera house. Quickly she walked through the streets of Paris until she got to Jonathan's house. She knocked and waited. Jonathan's maid, Emily, opened the door slowly.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sarine. Master Jonathan is in no condition to entertain guests," She said through the crack in the door.

"I know Emily," Sarine said, putting her hand on the door. "But I really need to talk to him. I'm sorry."

She pushed through the door and walked up the stairs. Walking quickly to his door, she opened it silently.

Jonathan was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Quietly she walked to the side of the bed and sat down. As he looked to her and saw the bruise, he reached up and touched her face gently.

"My god, did I do that? Oh Sarine, I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry…" he said, slowly sitting up.

He hesitantly reached over and pulled her into a hug. Sarine wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. Slowly they broke the embrace.

"No, I deserved it. I knew you liked me and I didn't tell you how I felt about you or Erik. You'll always be my Jonathan, my friend who was there, no matter what. You just can't be more than that… Do you remember what Xander told me before he died?"

"About the man you can't take your eyes off of?" Jonathan asked ruefully.

"Yes," Sarine said, him pulling her into a sitting position against himself. "Erik is that man. I just couldn't pry my eyes off of him since the moment our eyes met. I love him. I know that, deep in my heart, that I love him. I don't know why, but I do. I love you like a brother. Because of what happened with Xander, I could never love you like you need me to. And I can't stand seeing you so hurt because of it…"

Jonathan sat silently for a moment, his head leaning against hers. Finally he said, "I'm not hurt anymore. I'm glad you came. When I stop to think about it, courting you would be an insult to Xander's memory. I guess I'll forgive you… if you let me give you away at your wedding."

Sarine laughed and hugged his arms, which were wrapped around her. They sat there in silence, his arms wrapped around her. They stayed like that for hours, brother and sister, in perfect harmony. After a while, Sarine looked at the clock on Jonathan's bedside table. It read eight forty-five.

"I'd better get going… I don't want Erik scouring the city looking for me," Sarine said, sitting up.

"Oh, before you go," Jonathan said, reaching into his pocket. "These are the names of four actors that are intrigued by your play. I also have a young lady who is interested in the lead. Her husband is contemplating being the patron."

"But Erik wants me to be lead…" Sarine said.

"Yes," Jonathan said, putting the slip of paper into her hand. "But you would get a ver wealthy patron. At least meet them. It couldn't hurt."

Sarine nodded and gave Jonathan a hug. She then turned and walked out the door. Walking quickly, she reached the opera house at exactly nine o'clock. She bumped into Erik running out of the opera house while she was running in. They slammed into each other and fell to the floor, Erik on top of Sarine. They lay there for a while, either unable or unwilling to move. Erik then shifted so that his face hovered over hers and his full weight wasn't on her.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she replied, slightly out of breath.

"You're lucky," he said, pushing her hair away from her face. "I was about to tear apart Paris looking for you."

Sarine smiled, reached up, and pulled his face down to hers, "I'm lucky I got back then."

She pulled him to her lips and kissed him fully. He took her face with a hand and attempted to hold himself up with the other. Before he could react, she pulled the supporting arm up to her face, causing him to fall the rest of the way onto her. She smiled in the kiss and ran her fingers through his hair. His hand moved down her face and up her arm to her hand. He pulled it from his hair and placed it on his mask.

"Take it off… please…" he said into her lips.

Sarine, instead, put both hands on his chest and pushed him up. Sliding out from under him, she stood up and brushed herself off. Erik was on his back, looking up at her, confused. He then, too, stood up and dusted himself off.

"What is it?" he asked, worried.

"We're in the middle of the lobby. Someone could walk in," she replied, taking hold of Erik's hand and walking into the amphitheater.

"Who? Amy and the girls wouldn't care. Are… are you ashamed of me?" Erik said, his eyes questioning.

Sarine walked to the stage and sat on the edge. Erik jumped up and sat next to her, taking her hand. Sarine looked around thoughtfully, then back down to their hands.

"This is probably the last time I'll be on this stage as a performer," she said.

Erik took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him, using his hand to have her face look at him, "What do you mean?"

"Jonathan found someone for lead," she said, a tear running down her face. "And she has to star in order for her husband to become patron. They're stopping by between now and next week."

Erik looked at her. He knew that she wanted to do the part, no matter how scared she got. He would not stand for it.

"Plus," she started, leaning against him. "I would get to do my management duties. Someone has to run the opera house."

"Let me do it then! Everyone who has ever loved you knows that you are good enough to perform opera. I do, Jonathan does, and Xander did. I refuse to just let you quit like this."

"Fine" she said, getting slightly angry. "And how will we pay without a patron?"

"Another patron! There are plenty out there that have no one in opera. And, if we need to, I'll become the patron! I have enough money to be a steady patron for years! Just, please, don't quit. I made this opera for you and you alone. Not some opera singer, who probably can't sing," Erik said, taking her arms and holding her at a distance, staring into her eyes.

Sarine laughed and gave him a big hug, changing the subject. "Well, I'm tired, dear. Would you escort a lady to bed?"

Erik stood up on the stage and pulled her up to him, "Of course. Where are your preferred chambers?"

"Anywhere you go," She whispered, wrapping her arm around his waist.

Quietly they walked back to the lair. They got changed and slid into bed, taking the usual position of his arm over her waist. This night it was Sarine who sang, filling the night with a sweet melody. Erik listened as her voice drew him into unconsciousness. And he slept the best he's ever slept in his life.


	10. Chapter Ten Trouble Abroad

A.N: Please don't kill me for being late. I do have a good chapter for you now! Hopefully you are able to forgive me! The best is yet to come, though. I might have to double up the next chapter to make it so it flows nicely. I also might have to make this rated R… There is going to be some sexual events, there are even minor ones in this chapter, so please be warned. I don't want any 9-year-olds reading this and then running and telling their parents, especially since I warned you…

**Chapter Ten: Trouble Abroad**

Work began early the next day after Erik and Sarine awoke. They immediately walked hand in hand to the stage and started working on various things. Erik began tuning the piano and Sarine began to test the floor lighting. They both hummed as they worked, doing various duets from the show. At about eleven, the girls came down from the dormitory and began working as well. They all branched off and sang their own songs, but Erik and Sarine continued to sing duets together.

"Hello, Angel."

Erik and Sarine looked up to the strange voice. Standing there was Christine Daaé, the former ingenue of the Opera Populaire. Her slender figure was clothed in a dark blue corset dress, and her curly brown hair flowed down her shoulders. Clinging to her arm was Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny and former patron. He was dressed in his best, with a look that could kill saved just for Erik. They both slowly walked to Erik and Sarine, who had looks of their own. Erik had a look of shock on his face, and Sarine's bore a look of pure loathing.

"Can I help you?" Sarine asked, still glaring at Christine.

Christine walked closer and said, "I was told that the manager was looking for a lead, and my husband is interested in the patronage."

Now it was Erik's turn to glare at the Vicomte. It was no secret they disliked each other. If looks could kill, they'd both be dead.

"I would have to speak with my co-manager about this," Sarine said, gesturing to Erik. "If you'll excuse us."

She took Erik by the arm and led him to the office. She quickly locked the door behind them and spun around to face him.

"What the hell? Give me anyone but those two!" She said, sitting on the couch.

Erik sat beside her and rubbed her back. He, too, didn't want the vicomte and his wife to have anything to do with the opera. True, he still had feelings for Christine. He gave everything to her, who wouldn't still have feelings? But he had Sarine now, and he loved her more than he could have ever loved Christine.

"I don't want them here either. But the vicomte is very wealthy, and we could have grand operas. We could tell him that we already found a lead…" Erik tried.

Sarine sighed exasperatedly and stood up. As Erik stood up, Sarine took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. They walked out to the stage, where they found both Raoul and Christine reading the sheet music. They both looked up when they heard Sarine and Erik coming in.

"Erik, who wrote these songs? This opera?" Christine asked, holding out 'All I Ask'.

"I did," Erik replied, holding his head high. "And we regret to inform that we already have a prospect for lead. I'm sorry."

Christine took a step forward defiantly, "At least let me try out."

"I know what your voice is like, Christine. I helped make it that way," Erik said, looking Christine square in the eyes.

Christine sorted through the music and took out the lead parts, "I'm doing lead. I'm the only one good enough for it."

Sarine's jaw dropped and her blood boiled with anger, "I'm sorry, but we already have a lead. If you wish, you can take the part of an extra, or chorus girl."

"Erik, I'm doing lead," Christine said, ignoring Sarine. "Can you tell her that you know I'm the best for the part of playing myself?"

Sarine looked at Erik. The way he hesitated and couldn't meet her eyes, she knew he had caved in. She stormed off angrily. As she slammed the door, she could hear them beginning to warm Christine up. Now, more than ever, she hated Christine Daaé. She never could stand the girl's sweetness and innocence. No one could be that truly innocent. After Sarine cooled off, she walked through the mirror into the lair. She changed quickly and climbed into the bed, her anger sapping her energy and putting her to sleep.

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When Erik finished with Christine, he gathered the sheet music and closed the opera house for the night. He then searched the entire building for Sarine. When he couldn't find her, he went to the lair and searched for her there. He found her in the bed, her body off to one side so he could lie beside her. He quickly took off his shoes, jacket, and vest and climbed into the bed. Laying his arm over Sarine's waist, he snuggled close to her. Burying his head into her hair, he fell asleep to the lullaby of her breathing.

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Sarine woke up a few hours later to find Erik beside her. She was comforted by his presence, knowing that he didn't stay with Christine. Quietly she got up and walked out of the bedroom, throwing one last look over her shoulder at the man she loved.

Walking quickly, she walked through the passageways and the mirror in her office. She then proceeded out to the stage, which she found was the only lit area in the amphitheater. She sat down on the edge of the stage and looked out into the blackness.

"This is the last time you'll see it like this."

Sarine turned at the sound of the voice behind her. Standing in the middle of the stage was Christine, dressed in a provocative red nightdress.

"I was just about to join Erik. And since you're here, it gives us a little privacy," Christine said, running her fingers through her hair.

Sarine stood up and snarled, "What do you want with him? You broke his heart years ago, and there isn't much more left to break. You have your husband, so why do you need Erik as well?"

"Oh, that's simple!" Christine laughed. "There are some things that Raoul can't do as well as Erik can. You should know that, having been in his bed enough… Unless he has denied you that certain pleasure…"

Sarine's heart dropped at the thought. Granted, it would have been before they knew each other, yet it still hurt to think of Erik entwined with this witch.

"It's not true… It's not…" Sarine muttered.

Christine smiled at Sarine's distress, "Trust me, it is. Oh it was glorious! He was simply amazing. Those feather kisses across my skin, his hands gently caressing my breasts… I would kill for another night of that. I won't have to, if you don't get in my way…"

Sarine looked at Christine, shocked. She tried to stop the tears from coming, but the pain was unbearable. She stood up, walked over to Christine, and slapped her as hard as she could. Turning and running, she didn't stop until she got to the lair. Climbing into bed, she curled up against Erik and sobbed quietly into his chest. Erik, awakened by her crying, pushed her away slightly so he could see her face.

"What's wrong, Sarine? My love, what's the matter?" he said, brushing her hair away from her face.

Sarine sobbed, "Just hold me… Please, just hold me…"

Erik pulled her close to him, tears coming to his eyes. He couldn't stand to see Sarine so upset. He laid his scarred cheek against her hair, letting his tears fall freely. He hugged her tightly, as if clinging to her tightly would make her stop crying.

"I'll make whatever it is go away. I swear I will Sarine. I swear it."


	11. Chapter Eleven Pain beyond Survival

A.N: Flames just hurt. So, in an attempt to get less in the future, I'm going to explain a few things:

Yes, it may have been rather quick to have the characters fall in love. Yet I strongly believe in love at first sight. Erik, in my mind, realized that he waited too long to tell Christine of his true feelings, so he was afraid of losing someone he cared for even minorly. So, he decided to make his intentions known, and strongly. I understand that he loved Christine dearly, but she also hurt him badly. In a situation such as that, one tends to look towards anyone who shows any sense of affection, and in this case it was Sarine.

The opera. As stated, it was one year after the "strange affair". He didn't just write it in a day, he wrote it over the year. But he never had the incentive to finish until he met Sarine, and she asked for an opera. He finished and edited it for her. I didn't type this into the story because I figured, if you read close enough to the fine print, that you would figure that he would have been doing _something_ during that year, and the best thing to do is write about his heartache. Anyway, he wrote Don Juan Triumphant in half a year.

About how big the opera house is, and how it couldn't have been cleaned that quickly. Well, if you read the first chapter, Andre and Firmin had been struggling, but have been attempting, to put on another opera. They would not let the opera house stay in such a bad condition. They never got the chandelier fixed, but they kept it in rather good shape. And the chandelier. I think we all know that Erik is a genius. He can do anything he sets his mind to. He is an artist. He can fix a chandelier in two days. If not, then accept it that he can.

About how Sarine would never have owned an opera house. She's unconventional. If you couldn't tell that, then you must be just… weird.

The Erik displayed in the movie is completely different than the one in the book, but I am basing it on neither. How do you know what Erik would do in this situation? It's a completely different situation than before. And you said that the fanfic is more "lust" than "love". Must I mention Erik's creation of "Point of No Return"? Them being touchy is just reassuring that they have each other, heart, soul, and body.

And also, I have not yet introduced all of the cast members. So, please abide by the rule "Patience is a virtue".

Finally, please keep in mind that IT IS A FANFICTION! Not everything will be perfect, and once you find one, than it's not a fanfiction, it's the original story! If you don't like the "errors" in my story, then don't read it. I'm not forcing you.

Finally, one good piece of news: LoverOfBalto gave me this honour: I dub thee the #1 fan of Little Lotte's Guardian of Music and new owner to my Erik Plushie.

Well, finally, on to chapter 11!

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**Chapter Eleven: Pain beyond Survival**

The next day marked the first day of Christine's reign of Prima Donna. She walked out to the stage and stood, hands on hips, until everyone was ready. When they were, she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Excuse me, but what are we working on today?" she asked.

Everyone looked to Sarine, who was sitting with her head in her hands. Without looking up, she replied, "Whatever you need the most practice on."

"How about Point of No Return?" Christine said, causing Sarine to look up. Christine gave her a malicious look. "I haven't done that song in a year, and I have to perfect the choreography again."

Erik looked from Christine to Sarine and recognized the hatred, "Well, we could do a different piece. Maybe Phantom of the Opera?"

"No," Christine said, taking Erik's hand and pulling him center stage. "Point of No Return."

And so, with Amy playing the piano, they began the song of seduction. Sarine stared at Christine, who was so obvious in her pleasure. Sarine looked to the vicomte, who seemed indifferent. Standing up and running out to the lobby, Sarine was surprised to hear footsteps behind her. She turned to find the vicomte following her. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing. She looked to the vicomte as he came to her and held her.

"How can you just watch that indifferently? How can you watch her take such pleasure with another man's hands all over her?"

Raoul rocked her in his arms, "I know that she chose me before. She can take as much pleasure as she wants, as long as she comes home to me at night."

"Does it matter that the pleasure is with the man I love?" Sarine asked, sobbing. "I can't stand this anymore. I have to leave."

Raoul helped her to her feet and walked her to her office. After she had all of her clothes packed, he carried them to the front of the opera house. Raoul flagged down a carriage and paid for the trip to Jonathan's.

"Be safe, alright? I'll try and separate them. Erik will be easy, but Christine might be a little harder."

Sarine gave Raoul a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He helped her into the carriage and told the driver Jonathan's address again. It took not even ten minutes for the carriage to get to Jonathan's house. Once there, Sarine jumped out and knocked on the door. Emily opened the door and ushered Sarine in. Two of Jonathan's manservants brought in her suitcases.

"Master Jonathan is in his study, ma'am."

Sarine thanked her and walked upstairs to the study. She hesitated at the door, and was surprised when Jonathan pulled the door open.

"I saw the carriage pull up," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "And I saw them take out your bags. Where are you going?"

Sarine lay her head on Jonathan's chest, letting her tears soak his shirt, "I was hoping you would leave Paris with me."

"Why?" He asked concernedly. "I'll go, but why?"

And she told him everything. Leaving nothing out, she told him whatever was hurting her heart, starting with what Christine said.

"Did you know the girl was Christine Daae?" Sarine asked, looking into his eyes.

"Yes and know," Jonathan replied. "I knew what Christine Daae did, but I didn't know that was her. She had told me that her name was Christine de Chagny, so I didn't make the connection."

Sarine nodded. Jonathan called down to Emily, "Emily! Pack my necessities please. Ms. Toumont and I are going to Venice."

"Venice?" Sarine asked curiously, sniffling.

"Second opera capital of the world," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Just because we're leaving Paris doesn't mean you will have to stop singing."

After his necessary belongings were packed, Jonathan harnessed a carriage and put his and Sarine's bags in it. He instructed Emily to keep up the house while he was gone, and to redirect any guests to his Venice residence. The carriage was then ready and they climbed in.

The ride took all of ten minutes. They got out at the boat harbor, and Sarine looked up at the ships.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Sarine said, looking very pale.

Jonathan laughed and helped her out of the carriage and up the gangplank. At the top, Jonathan paid for their tickets and gave the stewards their room numbers. He then gently led Sarine to the side of the boat, in case she did get sick. He rubbed her back gently and looked out at the crowd of smiling people on the dock.

Sarine, on the other hand, had never felt worse. Not only was she seasick just thinking about being on a boat, she thought she kept seeing Erik amongst the crowd. She turned away from the edge. The apparition must be from her sickness and grief, so she dismissed it as such. She leaned against Jonathan as the boat set off, afraid she wouldn't be able to stand if she didn't.

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Halfway through 'Point of No Return', Erik got fed up with Christine's attempts to make the dance more provocative.

"What are you doing? Yes, the dance is seductive, but this is ridiculous! Where's Sarine? She can show you how to do it right…" Erik said, looking around the room.

When Raoul walked back into the room, Erik walked swiftly over to him and pinned him against the wall.

"Where is she?" he snarled.

"She's gone," Raoul sputtered, trying to breathe with Erik's arm against his throat. "She left when she saw you feeling up my wife."

Erik fell back, stunned. _How could I have been so ignorant to that?_ He thought.

"It wasn't you alone. My wife was detailing your previous meeting in bed to Sarine. And her plan of seducing you as well. Sarine knew you still care for Christine and would go back to her if she showed any signals of interest," Raoul said, coughing.

Erik looked at Christine with a look of pure, unfiltered loathing. He shouted over his shoulder as he threw his cloak on and walked out the door.

"Vicomte, you better do something with your wife before I do. And I don't mean in a good way."

He left them staring at Christine, who had a look of disbelief on her face. Erik neither noticed, nor cared. The only thought on his mind was of Sarine. And he knew just where she went.

Pounding on Jonathan's door, he nearly hit Emily in the face as she was opening it.

"Where is Mademoiselle Toumont?" Erik asked the frightened maid.

"She's not here," Emily said, looking up at the strange masked man. "Her and Master Jonathan left for Italy not even five minutes ago."

Before she could finish, Erik was already halfway down the street. Once he heard the word Italy he knew that they would be heading for the docks. Running as fast as he could, he arrived just as the Cruse carriage was leaving. He ran into the crowd, not caring if anyone saw him or not. He looked up to the boat when she wasn't in the crowds.

There! She was leaning against the railing, Jonathan supporting her. He caught her eyes a few times, and continually called out to her. Apparently she hadn't seen or heard him, because she turned away. At the sight of the boat leaving with her, he broke down. Due to his ignorance, he had just lost her. He would not let her go for good, though. Walking to the dockmaster, he bought a ticket for the next boat to Italy.

"Anywhere you go, let me go too," Erik said, letting a tear fall on the ticket.

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A.N: Well, the Vicomte is the good guy here. It's not his fault that Christine is a slut! This chapter may have been a little choppy, so please forgive me. I needed this chapter out of the way, for the real storyline to begin! 


	12. Chapter Twelve The Venice Opera

A.N: Yes, an update! Woo hoo! Alas, this isn't the big chapter I was hoping for. I put quite a bit of detail into this chapter, and it took 10 handwritten pages to fit 2-3 hours. So, the big, special chapter is chapter 13… Sorry. But! This one is good too! I've taken all of you nice people's comments and turned them into this chapter. Hopefully it has the love of the old chapters, but the sophisticatedness of the chapters you expected. So, I dedicate this to all of my hawd-core fans. I 3 you all! huggle

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**Chapter Twelve:** The Venice Opera

Three months after she had left Paris, Sarine had never felt better. She was the star of the Venice Opera House, her stage fright was gone, and an octave was added to her register. Having the starring role in Venice could get her any part at any opera house. She had pushed all painful thoughts from her mind. Even though, she still cried at night when she thought of how alone she was now.

A knock came to her dressing room door, and Jonathan came in.

"My dear, are you ready for the opera?" he said, rubbing Sarine's shoulders.

Sarine smiled up at him, then looked at herself in the mirror. The light blue dress she was wearing was gorgeous. There were little dark blue sequins along the hem, causing a snowdrift-like pattern. Her hair was curled and pulled loosely up, some still falling about her bare shoulders. She adjusted the straps, which loosely lay on her shoulders. Adding a bit of blush, she finally was satisfied with her appearance. She smiled at Jonathan in the mirror.

"When am I not ready for the opera?"

Jonathan laughed as Sarine stood up. He remembered the time three months ago when Sarine would only sing for Erik. Now her voice was available for all of Venice. He knew she missed him, he could always see it in her eyes. Whenever she smiled, it was genuine, but it never reached her eyes. He knew the events had changed her, and he wished above all things to have the old Sarine back.

As they walked down to stage level, Sarine greeted various cast and crew members. Jonathan was relieved the heartbreak didn't hurt her friendliness. She was always very cordial to people she met. At stage level, Jonathan said goodbye and Sarine took her opening place on the stage. Smiling as the curtain drew up, she realized, as she always did at this moment, that she was meant for the stage.

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After the show, Sarine stood outside her dressing room, accepting flowers from the dozens of men admirers. She accepted them graciously, paying only half attention to the men giving them. Her mind was on her performance, and how she had messed up in the third act. After all the men had gone, she went into her room and began the task of placing the flowers in vases. She went through them one by one, placing the small, individual flowers in groups in the vases. The work, like accepting the flowers, was autonomous. She was paying very little attention, until she came upon a single red rose.

Sarine has gotten many roses such as this one, yet that was before her opera career had begun. The single, long-stemmed rose was the deep, rich red of her memory. The black satin ribbon near the bud made her shiver as tears came to her eyes. The wet sadness fell onto the note attached, blurring the name written on top: Sweet Sarine.

Slowly she unfolded the thick parchment, more tears reaching her eyes as she recognized the elegant handwriting. Afraid that she would break down if she kept them silent, she read the words aloud.

_My Dearest Sarine,_

_I felt so proud when I saw you on the stage, so fearless. I always knew you could do it. And the Venice Opera House? I never expected less._

_I had hoped to congratulate you in private, but I see you have gained many admirers in your three-month career. As I've said, I couldn't be more proud._

_I hope you were planning on attending the masquerade ball tomorrow night. I was planning to attend. I even brought an old costume to celebrate._

_I hope you are willing to let me explain a few things. When I saw you leave on that boat, I feared I would never find you again. Now that I have, I'm not as willing to let you go again. It's hard to, when you have my heart. My _entire_ heart. _

_Love always, _

_Erik_

Sobbing, Sarine pressed the note against her heart, as if pressing it there would make all the pain go away. She knew she still loved him. He inspired her song, making her soar higher than a bird. She knew that he loved her back. He really was at the dock when they left.

And yet, there was still Christine. She knew the stories, she saw Don Juan. She could tell how deep their relationship went. Sarine wanted so desperately just to fall into Erik's arms and forget the world. Even if they did that, Christine would hover over them like a thundercloud, waiting to unleash chaos.

Sarine jumped as a knock came to the door. Knowing it was Jonathan, she wiped her eyes and hid the note and the rose. Jonathan didn't need to know. Yet.

"Come in!" she said, closing the drawer with the note in it.

Jonathan walked in and gave her a big hug.

"Your best performance yet!" he said, kissing her on both cheeks.

Sarine smiled, "Thank you Jonathan. You're too sweet."

Jonathan studied her as she turned back to the flowers. As hard as she was trying to hide it, he could see she'd been crying. Whether it was still because of Erik or someone else, he couldn't tell. He put on a smile and acted as if he didn't see as she turned to him again.

"Well, my dear," he said, clapping his hands together. "What is on the agenda for tonight? Dinner? Dancing? Shopping?"

He grinned wider at her reaction to the word "shopping". They were both without an outfit for the masquerade ball tomorrow, and he was insistent on them both going. Sarine, besides rehearsals and performances, was rarely out of her dressing room.

"Shopping sounds nice," Sarine said, standing up and taking Jonathan's hand and walking out of her dressing room.

They found many shops still open that had costumes. Jonathan found one in the first store: a prince. He tried to convince Sarine to go as a princess, but she refused. It took her a while, but she found the costume she knew she had to wear. Trying it on, she was ecstatic to see that it fit perfectly. The white satin skirt clung to her legs tantalizingly. Straight skirts were highly unpopular, but Sarine was never one to agree with the popular idea. She fingered the gold embroidery on the white corset. The delicate leaf and flower pattern fit the outfit perfectly. Looking in the mirror, she smiled at her reflection. The loose shoulder straps and limp wings were white, and had specks of gold in them. The small golden halo resting on her hair glinted in the light. She imagined Erik's expression when he saw what he lost. She wanted to be with him, but knew she couldn't. She sighed.

"Le fantôme et son ange…" she whispered wishfully, a single tear falling down her cheek.

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A.N: All at once now: Awww! Haha. Anyways, I promise that the next chapter will be rocking! I swear to it! 


	13. Chapter Thirteen Masquerade

A.N: Yeah, I've actually updated. This chapter is vital to the story, and it strengthens Erik and Sarine's relationship to the point of unbreakability. It's a little longer than usual, so please bear with me. Trust me, it's worth it.

Song mentioned is "One Caress" by Depeche Mode. If I owned it, then I would beg Gerry to sing it. Alas, I don't v.v

I don't hate fanart! I would adore and worship any of you if you made pretty fanart, for I cannot draw. I have a

BTW, this chapter is dedicated to LoverOfBalto and LittleLottie, because they both helped me out so much with the writing of it, one of you gave me the inspiration for some, and one of you made a fan art! Huggles! Aishiteru!

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**Chapter Thirteen:** Masquerade!

The next day the opera house was in a flurry of excitement. It was the first time Venice Opera House had held a masquerade, and everything was being pushed to the extreme. The entire orchestra was being set up in the lobby, where the dancing was held. Silk tapestries were hung from the walls and ceiling, and people were set up to sing. Sarine was asked quite a few times to sing, but she politely refused, stating that she sang all day and wanted a chance to hear others.

The entire afternoon, Sarine stayed in her dressing room. She had gone out in he morning to help with the decorating, but no one would let her do anything. So she sat in her room, staring at her outfit. The entire time would be spent with Jonathan, but she did have to talk to Erik. Still not knowing what to say, she called someone in to help her dress for the masque.

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By suppertime the masque was in full swing. Everywhere you turned there was someone extravagantly dressed with a mask on their face. Sarine clung to Jonathan's arm, afraid that if she let go he would be lost in the sea of faces.

Silently Jonathan walked her to the center of the crowd and began to waltz to the music. Sarine could feel all eyes on them, and wondered if Erik's was among them. She had searched for the Red Death amongst the crowd, but to no avail. Still, as if he were watching, she held her head high and danced as if no one was watching.

When the song finally finished, Sarine stood in the centre, waiting for the next one. A voice resounded into the crowd, and Sarine froze as she realized who the person was, and what they were saying. She turned towards the voice as it began a dedication.

"I dedicate this song to my sweet Sarine, my angel of music."

All eyes shot to her as the silky voice began the song. Erik walked over to her and took her hands. Torn between anger and love, Sarine stood still, stunned. Erik was dressed as Don Juan, complete with black mask and poet's shirt. He handed her one of his roses and got down on his knees, holding her hands in his.

"Well I'm down on my knees again

And I pray to the only one

Who has the strength

To bear the pain

To forgive all the things that I've done

Oh girl

Lead me into your darkness

When this world is trying it's hardest

To leave me unimpressed

Just one caress

From you and I am blessed."

Erik stood up and placed a hand on her cheek. His thumb moved slowly over her lips, and his eyes lingered on them before they returned to her eyes.

"When you think you've tried every road

Every avenue

Take one more look

At what you found old

And in it you'll find something new."

Erik took one step back and held one hand out to the side, as if showing something 'new'.

"Oh girl, lead me into your darkness

When this world is trying it's hardest

To leave me unimpressed

Just one caress

From you and I am blessed.

I'm shying from the light

I've always loved the night

And now you offer me eternal darkness."

The whole party laughed, because it seemed to be the opposite of their outward appearances. Even Erik smiled, as he looked at her from head to toe. As his eyes moved over her body, Sarine blushed a deep scarlet. Erik grinned at her reaction, as it fit for the next verse.

"I have to believe that sin

Can make a better man

For it's the mood that I am in

That's left us back where we began.

Oh girl

Lead me into your darkness

When this world is trying it's hardest

To leave me unimpressed

Just one caress

From you and I am blessed."

The last word reverberated through the hall and left everyone silent. Sarine looked at Erik, slapped him as hard as she could, then turned and ran out of the hall. Erik stood there, looking still at the spot where Sarine was standing. He regained his composure and walked swiftly outside. He spotted Sarine leaning against a wall, her back to him. He walked over to her.

"Sarine…" he whispered.

Sarine heard him and turned to face him, "Go away Erik. I don't want to see you right now."

Erik reached out for her, but she shoved him away. He reached out and took her arm firmly, but there were tears in his eyes.

"Sarine, let me explain…" he said, trying to turn her towards him.

"No Erik," Sarine yelled, tears welling in her eyes as well, but she still stood strong. "I'm tired of your explanations and promises. You can make all the ones you want, but you always go back on them. You promised, no, you _swore_ that you were over Christine. But a relationship like yours isn't ignored that quickly, is it? The Point of No Return was always your song."

Erik looked at her strangely, then it dawned on him. That day when he and Christine were practicing Point of No Return, and she was making the dance even more ambiguous. He was trying to tone it down, because his feelings for Christine were gone, and because he didn't want to do what he did: hurt Sarine.

"Sarine, listen. Please," Erik said, letting go of her arm and taking her hand. She pulled it from him, but turned to face him. "I love you. Not Christine, not Meg. You. I wouldn't come this far from my home if I didn't. I left Christine behind. We were close, both physically and emotionally, and I was hurt from it. You and I weren't that close physically, but emotionally I was always closer to you. Christine and my relationship was all about the physical aspect. I felt lust, not love, though I thought it was. Did you know that maybe the reason I never slept with you is because I wanted you differently? I wanted us to be the closest we could before we ever did that. Christine and I weren't. You're not Christine, and I'm glad for it, because I'd hate you if you were."

Sarine turned away from him, hugging herself. She didn't want it to be true, because if it was, then she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Yet she knew it was true. She knew that precious little mattered more than his home, and he would hate to leave it. Sarine hated herself for everything she'd done to him. She collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

Erik moved towards her and kneeled down. Instead of embracing her, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out another rose and handed it to her. She took it, tears running down her cheeks, and stared at the ribbon around the stem. It was gray.

"Black is for death, darkness, sadness and despair. White is for life, happiness, light. One cannot survive without the other. Without light, there is no darkness to compare it to. Without death, there is no room for life. They support each other. Yet nothing is just black and white. Only varying shades of gray," he said, reaching out and cupping her hands with his. "You are the light to my darkness, the life to my death, the happiness to my sadness. I am physically, emotionally, and mentally unable to live without you. Together we make the perfect colour, gray, the balance. Together we are perfect. Apart, we are nothing."

Sarine looked at him sadly, as if her entire world were collapsing at his words. In a sense, it was, because she had based her Venice life inside the walls of her mind and heart. She had built up a fortress, and Erik tore it down by giving her a flower.

Finally, after he stared at her for a moment, she fell into his arms. It felt so good, so _right_. They belonged together, and not even the gods could tear them apart. Erik, though, did. He pulled away and stood her up, then went back down on one knee. Pulling a velvet box out of his jacked, he opened it to show a ring in the shape of a small rose.

"Sarine Marie Toumont, I don't expect you to forgive me for what I've done. What's past is past, and the events leading up to this moment have mad us stronger. Will you spend the rest of your life with me? Will you become my angel of music?"

He stood up, took the ring out of the box, and put it on her finger. Smiling, Sarine reached up and pulled him to her, her lips kissing his. She gave him small kisses, laughing and smiling in between, saying only one word: "Oui!"

After he got her calmed down, which wasn't easy, because he was as happy as she was, he pulled out his watch and checked the time. They had spent a good hour outside, and the masquerade was as festive as ever.

"Shall we, my love?" Erik asked, extending his arm for her to take.

She did, instead, wrap her arm around his waist. He smiled at this gesture of familiarity, and wrapped his arm around her waist. They walked in together like that. The rest of the night was spent dancing in each other's arms, stopping only once to talk to Jonathan. He watched them with a smile all night.

When the party was over, the trio went back to Jonathan's house. Having a few drinks, Erik told them of news of the Opera Populaire.

"We're not done the show yet, but all the roles are filled, plus a good twenty extras, plus another twenty stagehands. We are missing one thing, though…" he said, looking to Sarine.

Her face went somber, "What?"

"Our star," Erik said, looking at her deep in the eyes, then down at his glass. "Christine and the Vicomte are gone. I fired her the day after you left, and he went with her. Alas, now we have to find a patron."

Sarine groaned. Jonathan looked from one to the other.

"Hello?" he said, standing up. "Did you forget whose house you're in? I have money to burn! Hardly any goes into my own opera house, and the rest is spent on buying residences that I'll seldom to never use. How about you ask me to be your patron?"

Sarine jumped up, hugging him tightly. After she let go and he regained his colour, Erik stood up and shook his hand. They went to bed right after that, Erik staying with Sarine. Instead of their usual sleeping position, he held her to him, facing him. They stayed up until the sunrise just talking, and telling each other how much they loved one another. Softly, Erik stroked her side, until she fell asleep. He nuzzled his face into her hair, falling asleep the luckiest man he'd ever known.

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A.N: Another Aww ending. Well, let's recap. We now have an engaged couple, and Christine and the Vicomte are gone. Alas, not for good. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen Returning Home

A.N: Yes, I know, finally. Blame LoverOfBalto for her roleplaying entrapment!

Now for an actual A.N. For this story, let us pretend that they did have boxers back in 1876. And let us imagine that Erik wore them. Please, I know it's not historically accurate, but let us pretend please?

Also, I know Sarine was married before, but she was too young then in Xander's mind for them to make love, so they didn't.

Due to the nature of this chapter, an R rating has been installed near the middle of the chapter, and lasts until the end. I'm sorry, but you have to know.

This chapter is dedicated to LoverOfBalto and Norah Roberts, for their assistance and inspiration.

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**Chapter Fourteen:** Returning Home

The next morning Sarine and Erik woke to find their room filled with people. Jonathan was in the middle of them, directing the placement of their clothes into various trunks. He looked over when he saw Erik and Sarine awake. Sarine sat up and glared at him.

"Oi, did we wake you? I tried to be quiet, but I just wanted to get back home to Paris," he said, sounding like his cheerful British self.

"Jonathan…" Sarine said, her own British accent more hard when she's not concentrating. "It's too bloody early. Bugger off!"

With that, she fell back on the bed, and snuggled close to Erik. He was looking at both of them, shocked. He could always hear their British undertones, but never this prominent.

"C'est incroyable…" Erik muttered in his native French.

He sat up and, with much difficulty, got Sarine up. Both of them dressing quickly, they assisted in the packing. By mid-day, they were all packed and in a carriage heading to the boat dock. The dock was crowded with people, as Paris was often a popular tourist spot. The group snaked through the crowd and climbed the boarding platform to the first-class entrance. Walking down the hallway on C deck, they all climbed into the lift and took it to A deck. From there they went to their rooms. Jonathan had his own stateroom, but Erik and Sarine shared. When they finished unpacking, they went up to the boat deck to watch as Venice slipped away.

The trip was altogether uneventful, except for one night when Sarine and Jonathan got drunk. Erik watched and sipped on his champagne as Jonathan and Sarine got into a drinking fight. For each pint Jonathan downed, Sarine had to drink more, and vice versa. By midnight, they were both completely drunk. Jonathan's manservant helped him back to his stateroom and Erik carried Sarine back.

When they got back to their stateroom, Erik laid her gently on the bed and carefully changed her into a nightgown. Knowing as drunk as she was, he twisted her hair into a loose braid and began patting her forehead with a cool wet rag. She looked up to him.

"I'm sorry I'm such a burden…" she muttered, trying to get rid of her queasy feeling.

"Shh…" he said, stroking her face gently. "I know it's natural for you English to get drunk at a party. You just haven't been fully acquainted with the French ways of moderate drinking."

They both laughed. When he could tell she wasn't going to be sick, he changed into more comfortable clothing and climbed into the bed. He laid down next to her and pulled her so she could lay her head on his chest. She started fingering the frills on his poet's shirt as she began to fall asleep. He stroked her hair gently and sang "Music of the Night" from the Opera. Slowly his gentle voice put her to sleep.

XxXxX

The next day they arrived in Cherbourg, France. Erik needed to help Sarine, seeing as she was suffering from the worst hangover she'd ever had. At the dock, a separate carriage was there to take Erik and Sarine back to the opera house. They walked in to the opera house to find an open-armed welcome. There were decorations everywhere and the entire cast and crew was there. Amy, Rose and Tara ran up to Sarine and gave her a big hug.

"My goodness, we missed you!" Amy said, all three letting go. "You left without a single goodbye."

That moment Amy spotted Sarine's engagement ring. She looked from Sarine to Erik and smiled.

"I told you he look a liking to you."

Sarine smiled and leaned against Erik. He wrapped his arm around her protectively and kissed her hair.

The party went on for about three hours, but Sarine and Erik stayed for only two. Amy introduced them to the new cast and crew, Sarine gave a speech of thanks, and then Erik ushered her up to bed. After she changed into a nightgown, he helped her into the bed and covered her up with the velvet sheets. She cozied into them, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

"I missed lying in this bed with you," Sarine said. "It always seemed so perfect."

Erik smiled down at her. He then changed into a pair of pants for sleeping, but since it was so hot he ignored the shirt. When he was finished, he walked over and slipped under the sheets to lay beside Sarine. Gently he stroked her stomach through the thin nightgown. She turned over and faced him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

**_WARNING! R MATERIAL FROM HERE TILL END_**

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A furious red shot to his cheeks as her body pressed against him. He tried hiding the blush, but couldn't ignore the fact that his lack of shirt and the thinness of her nightgown caused him to feel every curve of her body. Sarine looked up to him and noticed the blush.

"What is it, sweetie?" she asked, totally oblivious to the problem.

"N…Nothing," he stammered, blushing even more.

Sarine looked down, recognized the cause of his blush, and giggled. Running a hand down his chest, she felt the tightened muscles. Each inch her hand got closer to the waistband of his pants, the more he tensed up and blushed. By the time her hands fell on his belt, his chest muscles were rock hard and he was as red as her lipstick.

"In my mind I've already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent. Now I am here with you. No second thoughts. I've decided…. Decided…"

Sarine whispered the last decided against his lips, then ravaged his mouth. As nervous as he was before, his return kisses showed no mercy. He let out a quiet moan as she nibbled on his bottom lip then ran her tongue over it. Right before it was about to leave his lip, he caressed her tongue with his, causing her to shiver.

After his belt was tossed aside, he slowly slid her nightgown over her head. He threw that to the floor, and he brought his hands down, lightly caressing her face, then her newly exposed breasts, then her bare side. His eyes traveled with his hands, causing her to blush in turn. In retaliation, she pulled his pants off and held them off the floor, then let them drop. They collapsed in a heap near her nightgown.

Now left only in their undergarments, Erik moved her onto her back and leaned gently on her. Sarine's heart rate increased as his hand caressed her side gently and then his finger hooked in the side strap of her underwear. Slowly he slid them down. They ended up beside his pants.

She, in turn, slid off his boxers. Throwing them aside, they landed on the monkey box.

As his hand ran up her side, it left a trail of goosebumps. His left hand cupped her left breast, and his thumb caressed it. He smiled down at her, then moved to act as if he were kissing her, but stopping just short of her mouth.

"Damn you," she growled.. "Take me and get this ache over with."

With those words he plunged into her. The initial surprise of it shocked her and she let out a gasp. That was cut short by his lips furiously being pressed on hers. With slow, hard thrusts he drove her wild, causing her eyes to cloud over. He rode with her as she crested over each wave of intense pleasure. Realizing she was on her first time, he kissed her lovingly as he took what was only hers to give. Her cry of pain was muffled by the kiss, but a tear managed to escape her eyes. He saw it, and caressed it away.

As they were lying there, him on his back now and her newly moved to his side, she stroked his chest gently, and he stroked her arm in turn.

"I'm so sorry it hurt," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I tried my best for it not to. I'm so sorry."

She laid her head on his chest, breathing in the scent of him and smiling, "I knew it would. And I'm glad it was you."

Erik smiled and continued to caress her arm. Quietly he began to sing her to sleep, with a soft lullaby to calm and soothe the pain of her first time. He had taken Christine's first, but this one mattered more to him, because now he and Sarine were one, body, heart and soul.

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Wow… that was odd typing… This is my first time writing something like this, and it's mostly based off of reading Norah Roberts' stuff. So, please R&R. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen Business as Usual

A.N.: OMG I am SSSSOOOO sorry it took so long to update this chapter. My mind was pulled from our beloved Erik for a time, and I will never be able to forgive myself, but I am back, and that distraction is gone, so I can write a lot more now. Also, I have a clearer view of what is next, so this next chapter will be out soon. I swear it on my phantom collection.

XXXX to Britt, Megs, Erik, Miguel, Will, and all of my other devoted fans that I missed. I 3 you all! hugs

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**Chapter Fifteen:** Business as usual

When Sarine woke up early the next morning, she got out of bed quietly, leaving Erik sleeping. She quickly got dressed in one of the dresses that Erik had hanging in the closet, then threw a cloak over it. Slipping out of the room, she gave a last look back to her beloved.

Taking a lit candle from one of Erik's candelabra, she walked out of the lair and through the hallway back to her office. The mirror was replaced, no doubt due to Erik's work while she was gone. Other than that, the room was the same it was before she left.

When she reached the stage, she was surprised to see the sets finished. The one currently up was for 'Masquerade', so the huge staircase filled the stage. Sarine walked halfway up the steps, then sat down, wrapping the cloak tightly around her.

She sat there alone for about an hour and a half, thinking. She had her back to Erik when he stood at the top of the staircase in his normal attire. He started down the stairs then stopped having an idea. He stood tall and smiled.

"Why so silent, good mame'zelle? Did you think that you could leave me for good?"

Sarine turned around and smiled up at him, standing up. Slowly she walked up the staircase, her eyes fixed on his. She reached him in what seemed like forever, and he held his hand out to her.

"Bravo monsieur, such spirited words…" she replied, taking his hand.

He pulled her close to him, her hand to his lips, "Is 'I love you' less or more spirited?"

Sarine only smiled, and placed her lips to his, gently. When they parted, she leaned against him and he rocked them back and forth.

"Erik, why can't the world accept us as we are? We're normal enough…" Sarine asked, lying her had against his chest.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers, "Do you want to be normal? To be exactly as everyone else?"

"No," she said. "I just want us to be treated normally."

Erik said nothing and just held her. They were that way until the rest of the cast and crew came to the stage, when they parted. The cast stood in front of Sarine and Erik, unsure of who they were to take directions from. Erik saw how nervous Sarine got in front of this crowd, and stepped forward.

"We have yet to finish the graveyard scene, but the scenery is finished. So… from "Wishing" to "Bravo" for the cast, and it would be great if the construction crew could finish the dressing room scenery."

As the construction crew headed off to work on the set, the scenery crew set up for the graveyard scene. Erik handed Sarine a copy of the score and smiled at her.

"The show is to premiere in three weeks. You think you can do it?" he asked her.

She scanned the score then nodded, "Yeah, I believe I've got it. Good thing I'm a quick learner, or else we would be in trouble."

Erik laughed and watched Sarine as she walked around the now staircase-less stage, humming the music to get it back in her memory. She stopped, looked up to the boxes of the opera house, then back to her sheet music.

A loud noise broke her out of the stupor and she looked around and was surprised to find the cemetery set already up. She looked at the group sheepishly.

"Was I keeping everyone up?" she asked, blushing.

Erik grinned at her and motioned for her to stand in her place for "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again." The whole scene went off without a hitch, and when they were done, everyone cheered. Sarine beamed in her accomplishment, and because her fiancé's opera was turning out perfectly.

When that was done, they went over it again to make sure it was perfect, then they all separated for lunch. Erik and Sarine decided to eat privately in the lair. Erik made some turkey and lettuce sandwiches and handed Sarine a cup of wine.

"You did amazing. I always had faith in you, but that was surprising…" Erik said as he sat down next to her on the shore of the lake.

Sarine grinned at him, "I'm full of quite a bit of surprises that you don't know about…"

Erik raised his eyebrow but said nothing. They ate the rest of lunch in silence, just happy with each other's presence.

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Three weeks later, "The Phantom of the Opera" opened at the Opera Populaire to a full house. From the moment the chandelier flew to it's place until the mirrors were smashed in the lair, the performers had the audience's rapt attention. And when they all came to the stage for the curtain call, they received thunderous applause. Erik received the loudest, and he was blushing furiously at all the attention. The attention he'd been wanting his whole life.

Backstage became a huge party as the wine and champagne overflowed. There were many people looking for Erik and Sarine to congratulate them, but they were missing.

Erik sat in Sarine's arms in the lair, overwhelmed. He had gotten everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wasn't used to it. He began to sob quietly, out of happiness.

Sarine felt him sobbing and looked at him, surprised to see tears falling from his face. She wiped them away.

"Erik?" she asked, concerned. "Honey, are you alright? Why are you crying? We just had a big success… You should be happy…"

Erik smiled at her through his tears, "I am happy. Oh, love. I'm so happy. I have everything I've ever wanted: a love to call my own, a home, a popular opera…"

Sarine grinned at him then whispered, "A baby…"

Erik stopped then, and looked her deep in the eyes.

"Are… are you serious? How long have you known?"

Sarine smiled and leaned against him, content too, for the first time in a while.

"Since earlier today," she said. "I went to the doctor, just in case, and he told me what I was expecting. Oh, Erik! A child of our own! Ours!"

Erik hugged her and kissed her deeply, lovingly. He held her to him and caressed her face lightly.

"A child of our own…" he whispered, even more overwhelmed than before.


	16. Chapter Sixteen Prelude to Disaster

A.N: This chapter is dedicated to Brittney, Katie, Hana, Ashley, and those who I might have forgotten to mention.

I'm sorry it took so long, I had a major motivation block. I guess I was bummed at the amount of reviews I got for the last chapter. Seeing as this one is so important, it would be great if you all reviewed. I'd really appreciate it.

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**Chapter Sixteen:** Preparations for Disaster 

Over the next five months, the opera performed each night to a full house. People began to whisper about Sarine's enlarging stomach, but dared not say anything to her or Erik. In two weeks their wedding was to take place in the Notre Dame cathedral to a small reception. Most of the original cast members were invited, plus Jonathan, Madame Giry, Meg Giry and Sarine's sister Brittney. Erik looked at Sarine in surprise when she wrote out an invitation to Brittney.

"I didn't know that you had a sister," Erik said, writing out an invitation to his friend Nadir.

Sarine nodded as she finished the invitation, "Yeah, she's two years older than me, and married to this man named Joshua Peters. She had me as her maid of honor, so she will be mine. Rose, Amy and Tara will be my bridesmaids. I thought I had told you that I had a sister."

He shook his head, "No, you've never mentioned her. Are you two close?"

"So close I'm surprised I never talked of her." Sarine said, standing up. "I'm sure she'll love you. She gets along with just about everyone, and I've yet to meet someone who dislikes her."

Erik said nothing, standing up beside her and wrapping his arm around her waist. He gently placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. Sarine smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment before she pulled away.

"I have to go check on the mail in my office. I've neglected it all day, and I'm sure our favourite composer would like his mail," she said, grinning back to Erik as she walked down the hallways to her office mirror.

Instantly she groaned at the sight of the mail piled up on her desk. Patiently, she sat down and went through each one. Bills, requests for tickets, letters. Sarine picked up one and smiled. The death's head seal no longer inflicted fear in her heart when it was on a letter. Erik had become accustomed to writing her little love letters for when she sorted the mail, and he seemed to realize how much they brightened her day. She broke the seal and pulled out the letter.

"Dearest Sarine,

When I woke up this morning and looked over at you sleeping there beside me, full with our child, the thought of how truly blessed I am floated through my mind once again. Not just because of your astonishing beauty, but of your even more beautiful soul. You have such an untarnishable purity in everything you do. Remember how much I love you.

Love, Erik."

Tears formed in Sarine's eyes as she read the letter. She made a mental note to be extra sweet to him later that day. She set the letter aside with a smile and picked up the next piece of mail.

The next half-hour was consumed with her reading and answering mail. Sarine sighed as she picked up the last letter.

"Mlle. Toumont,

Your presence is required at my residence to talk about the future of the theatre. This meeting is urgent! Please arrive at 263 Rue Pine at 2:30 p.m."

Sarine searched the letter for a return address, but there was none. Looking at the clock, it was 2:15, so she wrote down the address, grabbed her cloak, and ran out the door. Quickly, she hailed a cab.

As she bounced along in the carriage, Sarine took notice that they were heading deeper into the country. The houses were placed farther apart, separated every so often by a farm. As they pulled into one of the random farms, Sarine asked the driver if they were at the correct address. Pulling to a stop, he assured her that it was indeed the right address. Sarine climbed out and walked to the front door of the barn house. On the door was a note saying the owner was working in the barn, so Sarine headed that way.

The barn looked like it was about to fall apart, with boards missing and the green paint peeling away. Sarine had doubts about the meeting, but she opened the barn door anyway.

Once inside, she looked around for the owner. She walked to the middle of the barn and called out a meek "hello?" hoping she would receive a reply.

The only thing she heard was the barn door being locked. She turned and ran to the door, banging on it. She looked down to see a note being slipped under the door. Quickly, Sarine picked up the note. Her breath was caught as she read the words,

"Sarine,

I told you he would be mine.

Christine"

Sarine began slamming her fists against the door, yelling in anger. When the stench of gasoline filled her nostrils, she started to panic. Suddenly Christine's plan became apparent. She was going to burn down the barn, and with her in it. As she began to see the orange flames lick through the wood and windows, She blacked out.

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Erik looked up at the clock, impatient. He hated being away from his fiancée for too long. He took notice that it was exactly two-thirty.

"Hm… She should be done with the mail by now…" he muttered to himself.

Pulling on only a cloak over his white shirt and black pants, he started down the hallway that led to her office. Looking through the mirror, he frowned when he saw she wasn't there, so he slid the mirror over and walked to her desk. The first thing to catch his eye was the note he wrote her. He smiled as he scanned her desk, his eyes falling on the letter. He picked it up, read it, then looked at the clock. He still had time to go and join her. So he walked out of the opera house and hailed a cab.

The ride took about fifteen minutes. As they neared the address, Erik's heart was stricken with fear as he smelt and saw smoke. He ordered the driver to speed up.

Jumping out before the cam came to a stop, Erik ran to the front door, praying. Those prayers were shattered when he read the note and realized that Sarine was in the burning barn. So he ran as fast as his legs could take him, before stopping about ten feet from the door of the barn.

"SARINE!" he yelled.

When he heard coughing from inside, he ran up to the door. Seeing as it was badly damaged already, he took a few steps back. Covering himself with his cape, he ran at the door, breaking through it easily. He dropped his burning cape and searched through the flames for Sarine.

There! She lay on her side, passed out, with flames licking at her dress and face. Erik ran over to her and patted out the flames on her dress. With horror, he saw that the left side of her face was badly burned. He quickly lifted her up and turned back to the door. Even though there was a wall of flames, he ran at it and jumped, tumbling out the other side.

After a few moments, he sat up and checked Sarine. Tears began falling down his cheeks as he saw her burned face and body. He picked her up and ran to the waiting carriage. Yelling to the driver to drive to the hospital, he kneeled beside Sarine, who lay on the seat.

Within minutes they were at the nearest hospital. Erik jumped out and carried Sarine carefully to the emergency room. The nurse immediately checked her in and led Erik to a room. Almost instantly, the room filled with so many doctors that Erik was forced to move out into the hallway.

An hour later, a doctor came out of the room and pulled Erik aside.

"Your fiancée suffered third degree burns to most of her body, and to the left side of her face. The baby will be all right, but her scarring will be permanent. She was lucky you got her here so quickly."

Erik stared down at the tiled floor in horror as the doctor walked away. His baby would live, but his beautiful Sarine would be as scarred as he was. Once all the doctors left, he walked into the room and let out a choked sob at the sight before him.

Sarine lay in the bed, her entire body covered in bandages. Erik walked over to the side of the bed and took her bandaged hand gently, looking down at her. As the grief and relief flooded over him, he leaned down and sobbed into their hands. When his sobbing slowed, he finally fell asleep, his dreams plagued with fire.

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Well, there's the big chapter. There is more to come, but only about one or two. Seriously, though. Please review. It makes me feel special. 


	17. Chapter Seventeen Recovery

A.N: Woah, another chapter! Awesome! I'm sure all of you are worried about what happened to Sarine, so here's some more of the story! Part of this has reference to Susan Kay's Phantom, so jtlyk. And since I've had complaints of Erik being a sissy, he isn't anymore.

Thus! Graphic language warning!

3 to Katie, Brittney, Erik, and Gerry. I love you all to death!

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**Chapter 17:** Recovery

When Sarine awoke the next morning, she opened her eyes painfully. With her only good eye, she looked over at Erik, who sat at her bedside, his head laid gently on her hand. She smiled a small smile, only as wide as the burns would let her, and reached over with her other hand to touch his exposed cheek. Looking at his sleeping face, she frowned as she saw that the wrinkles on both his marred and unmarred cheeks had had deepened significantly. She remembered how much trouble she had caused him, and tears stung at her eyes.

"Oh Erik…" she whispered hoarsely.

Erik woke up then, the mixture of his name and her voice an immediate alarm. He saw up swiftly and look the hand that lay on his face, squeezing it tightly. A small sad smile crept across his lips.

"Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?" he asked, still holding her hand tightly and looking at her with concerned eyes.

Sarine gave a light moan and closed her eyes. "I feel as if I sat out I the sun for too long. Did they find Christine?"

Erik gave her a confused look, "How do you know it was Christine?"

"Look in my dress pocket," she said, trying to reach over for her dress but recoiling in pain. "She left a not for me in the barn."

Erik stared at her for a moment then leaned over to the chair where the remains of her dress lay. He reached into the pocket and pulled out Christine's note. As he red, his face became distorted.

"That fucking bitch!" he yelled, standing and hitting a container off the counter. "Why the hell did she have to go and do a stupid thing like this?"

He turned around and pulled at his hair, yelling in frustration. Sarine stared at her fiancé's back, terrified of this sudden anger. She jumped and squeezed her eyes closed when he kicked the cabinet on the floor, causing a dent.

"Erik, please…" she whispered, her eyes still closed.

He sighed and turned around, looking at her. She looked so weak, so defenseless that it broke his heart. And knowing that the woman he had once loved had tried to end his angel's life didn't help matters. As much as he disliked Christine before, it now bordered on homicidal hatred. He walked over to Sarine's bedside and once more took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry, love. You know that when I get angry, It's hard for me to hold it in. I can't stand the fact that I almost lost you and our baby to the woman that I once called mine." He shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "It kills me inside to think of a night when I won't wake up beside you."

Sarine let out a sigh, which sounded more like a growl because of the smoke inhalation.

"Erik, I'm going to be here for you until the day I die. I swear on that."

Erik, a tear slipping down his cheek, smiled up at her. He leaned over to kiss her cheek when she let out a cry. He looked down to see a bit of exposed burn being brushed against by his shirt. He backed up with a start, then turned around and let out another growl.

All he wanted to do was love her. He wanted to hold her as she fell asleep, to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and tell her that everything will be all right. Turning to look at her, he saw he wouldn't be able to show her that affection for some time. He might not be able to even sleep in the same bed until her skin was more healed.

"Perhaps you should get some rest," he said, turning to look out the window.

Sarine nodded lightly but still watched him. He had a rather odd look on his face, one she couldn't place, "But you will stay here with me, won't you?"

He nodded but didn't say anything. In his anger, he didn't know what he might do. He stood watching over her until her chest rose and fell steadily in sleep. He covered her with his cape, as he used to do when he first saw her, then walked swiftly through the door.

Though the Vicomte's house was fifteen minutes away, it seemed to take mere moments for Erik to get there. Time and space were irrelevant outside his own mind, which was frothing with anger.

He looked up at the great brass knocker and had a moment of hesitation before banging on the door. A maid opened and let him pass after his one glare. Swiftly Erik moved through the house to the library, where he knew the couple would be. Once he pushed through the door, Raoul ushered Christine into the next room. He knew an angry Erik when he saw one.

"Leave Paris." Erik growled. "Leave and take that demon of a wife with you."

Raoul stepped forward a bit and held his hands up, "Now Erik, let's be reasonable…"

"Reasonable! How the hell can I be reasonable when your wife just tried killing my fiancée?" Erik yelled, shoving over a lamp on a side table to prove his point.

"Erik, you have no proof. You can't just say it was Christine…"

Erik shoved the note into Raoul's hands, who read it with a shocked expression. "Oh… Oh dear lord…"

"Now you have my proof. If you don't get her out of Paris, I'll commit the act she failed to achieve, though my target will have changed. By god, I swear I will."

Raoul nodded, the color empty from his face. "Yes… Yes, we'll leave tonight. Is she okay?"

Erik turned from him, but looked at Raoul from over his shoulder. "She'll live, but no other man will ever look on her in love."

Leaving Raoul to ponder what he meant, Erik moved from the house and walked the streets of Paris back to the opera house. Mission in mind, he went down to his lair and began the process.

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Sarine awoke a few hours later and looked over at Erik. Her skin was better, so she was able to give him a broader smile.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked him.

He let out a little laugh, clinging to a parcel in his hands, "I should be asking you that. How is my angel?"

Sarine groaned but still smiled, "I feel better, but still bad." She looked down to the package in his hands, "Love, what's that?"

Erik sighed and looked down at the package. He had made it for himself. He handed it to her and waited for her reaction.

Sarine slowly opened the item from the paper and stared. Lying in her hands was an onyx black mask, made of leather and a mirror image of Erik's white one. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

"Erik…"

He looked at the mask, then pulled of his own, turning it over in his hands.

"What no one understands is that the mask isn't used to hide that which we are ashamed of, it is used to hide that which we are afraid of. My mother told me once that my reflection was a monster and that the mask would keep it away. You could use this mask to keep away your demons and fears: the fear that people will reject you, and any other fears you might have." He placed his mask on the bed and looked up at her. "Or we could choose to not hide and face down our demons. Know this: whatever your choice, I will share it with you, and any consequence it may have."

Sarine looked deep into her love's eyes. She could tell by his solemn expression that he would let her lead him through the gates of hell if that was what she wished. Slowly she moved the mask up to the scarred side of her face. Erik reached over and replaced his. He took her hand and smiled, not wanting to be, but content that he now truly had his one and only other. The other half of his whole.


	18. Chapter Seventeen Recovery Review Ch

A.N: Woah, another chapter! Awesome! I'm sure all of you are worried about what happened to Sarine, so here's some more of the story! Part of this has reference to Susan Kay's Phantom, so jtlyk. And since I've had complaints of Erik being a sissy, he isn't anymore.

Thus! Graphic language warning!

3 to Katie, Brittney, Erik, and Gerry. I love you all to death!

**_THIS IS FOR REVIEWS. THE LAST CHAPTER WASN'T ALLOWING REVIEWS, SO PLEASE USE THIS ONE. THANKS!_**

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**Chapter 17:** Recovery

When Sarine awoke the next morning, she opened her eyes painfully. With her only good eye, she looked over at Erik, who sat at her bedside, his head laid gently on her hand. She smiled a small smile, only as wide as the burns would let her, and reached over with her other hand to touch his exposed cheek. Looking at his sleeping face, she frowned as she saw that the wrinkles on both his marred and unmarred cheeks had had deepened significantly. She remembered how much trouble she had caused him, and tears stung at her eyes.

"Oh Erik…" she whispered hoarsely.

Erik woke up then, the mixture of his name and her voice an immediate alarm. He saw up swiftly and look the hand that lay on his face, squeezing it tightly. A small sad smile crept across his lips.

"Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?" he asked, still holding her hand tightly and looking at her with concerned eyes.

Sarine gave a light moan and closed her eyes. "I feel as if I sat out I the sun for too long. Did they find Christine?"

Erik gave her a confused look, "How do you know it was Christine?"

"Look in my dress pocket," she said, trying to reach over for her dress but recoiling in pain. "She left a not for me in the barn."

Erik stared at her for a moment then leaned over to the chair where the remains of her dress lay. He reached into the pocket and pulled out Christine's note. As he red, his face became distorted.

"That fucking bitch!" he yelled, standing and hitting a container off the counter. "Why the hell did she have to go and do a stupid thing like this?"

He turned around and pulled at his hair, yelling in frustration. Sarine stared at her fiancé's back, terrified of this sudden anger. She jumped and squeezed her eyes closed when he kicked the cabinet on the floor, causing a dent.

"Erik, please…" she whispered, her eyes still closed.

He sighed and turned around, looking at her. She looked so weak, so defenseless that it broke his heart. And knowing that the woman he had once loved had tried to end his angel's life didn't help matters. As much as he disliked Christine before, it now bordered on homicidal hatred. He walked over to Sarine's bedside and once more took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry, love. You know that when I get angry, It's hard for me to hold it in. I can't stand the fact that I almost lost you and our baby to the woman that I once called mine." He shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. "It kills me inside to think of a night when I won't wake up beside you."

Sarine let out a sigh, which sounded more like a growl because of the smoke inhalation.

"Erik, I'm going to be here for you until the day I die. I swear on that."

Erik, a tear slipping down his cheek, smiled up at her. He leaned over to kiss her cheek when she let out a cry. He looked down to see a bit of exposed burn being brushed against by his shirt. He backed up with a start, then turned around and let out another growl.

All he wanted to do was love her. He wanted to hold her as she fell asleep, to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and tell her that everything will be all right. Turning to look at her, he saw he wouldn't be able to show her that affection for some time. He might not be able to even sleep in the same bed until her skin was more healed.

"Perhaps you should get some rest," he said, turning to look out the window.

Sarine nodded lightly but still watched him. He had a rather odd look on his face, one she couldn't place, "But you will stay here with me, won't you?"

He nodded but didn't say anything. In his anger, he didn't know what he might do. He stood watching over her until her chest rose and fell steadily in sleep. He covered her with his cape, as he used to do when he first saw her, then walked swiftly through the door.

Though the Vicomte's house was fifteen minutes away, it seemed to take mere moments for Erik to get there. Time and space were irrelevant outside his own mind, which was frothing with anger.

He looked up at the great brass knocker and had a moment of hesitation before banging on the door. A maid opened and let him pass after his one glare. Swiftly Erik moved through the house to the library, where he knew the couple would be. Once he pushed through the door, Raoul ushered Christine into the next room. He knew an angry Erik when he saw one.

"Leave Paris." Erik growled. "Leave and take that demon of a wife with you."

Raoul stepped forward a bit and held his hands up, "Now Erik, let's be reasonable…"

"Reasonable! How the hell can I be reasonable when your wife just tried killing my fiancée?" Erik yelled, shoving over a lamp on a side table to prove his point.

"Erik, you have no proof. You can't just say it was Christine…"

Erik shoved the note into Raoul's hands, who read it with a shocked expression. "Oh… Oh dear lord…"

"Now you have my proof. If you don't get her out of Paris, I'll commit the act she failed to achieve, though my target will have changed. By god, I swear I will."

Raoul nodded, the color empty from his face. "Yes… Yes, we'll leave tonight. Is she okay?"

Erik turned from him, but looked at Raoul from over his shoulder. "She'll live, but no other man will ever look on her in love."

Leaving Raoul to ponder what he meant, Erik moved from the house and walked the streets of Paris back to the opera house. Mission in mind, he went down to his lair and began the process.

-------------------

Sarine awoke a few hours later and looked over at Erik. Her skin was better, so she was able to give him a broader smile.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked him.

He let out a little laugh, clinging to a parcel in his hands, "I should be asking you that. How is my angel?"

Sarine groaned but still smiled, "I feel better, but still bad." She looked down to the package in his hands, "Love, what's that?"

Erik sighed and looked down at the package. He had made it for himself. He handed it to her and waited for her reaction.

Sarine slowly opened the item from the paper and stared. Lying in her hands was an onyx black mask, made of leather and a mirror image of Erik's white one. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

"Erik…"

He looked at the mask, then pulled of his own, turning it over in his hands.

"What no one understands is that the mask isn't used to hide that which we are ashamed of, it is used to hide that which we are afraid of. My mother told me once that my reflection was a monster and that the mask would keep it away. You could use this mask to keep away your demons and fears: the fear that people will reject you, and any other fears you might have." He placed his mask on the bed and looked up at her. "Or we could choose to not hide and face down our demons. Know this: whatever your choice, I will share it with you, and any consequence it may have."

Sarine looked deep into her love's eyes. She could tell by his solemn expression that he would let her lead him through the gates of hell if that was what she wished. Slowly she moved the mask up to the scarred side of her face. Erik reached over and replaced his. He took her hand and smiled, not wanting to be, but content that he now truly had his one and only other. The other half of his whole.


	19. Chapter Eighteen Celebration

A.N.: Wow, I am completely sorry! Three months and no update! Please don't hate me...v.v But here it is. The much awaited Chapter 18. Please, please review. I would love it if you guys did. 3

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**Chapter 18: Celebration**

It took Sarine two and a half months to heal well enough to leave the hospital, and yet another two weeks for her to want to go out in public.

"Oh Erik, I feel so ugly..." she sobbed into Erik shoulder the night after their rehearsal dinner.

Erik caressed her hair and kissed her forehead, "My love, you're even more beautiful than you were the first day I met you. That woman was just jealous."

"Jealous enough to burst in on our wedding rehearsal," she sobbed, burying her face deeper. "And openly call me the Phantom's whore? A disgrace on the face of Paris?"

Erik hesitated. The woman had barged into the lobby-turned-reception hall at the opera house and had begun tormenting Sarine. Even though Erik had men escort the girl out, Sarine still ran from the room in tears. She had, of course, ran back down to the lair, where no one but Erik would find her. Her mask lay discareded at the foot of the bed, where she threw it in a fit of anger.

"Sweetie, she was jealous. You're an even more beautiful woman than she. Would I lie to you?"

He reached down and coaxed her face from his shirt. When he was able to make eye contact, he smiled through his pain. It was true that she was even more beautiful to him, even through her marred skin, but it hurt him to know of the torment she suffered every day. While he had been born deformed, she was born beautiful and made ugly by one woman's jealousy. He could look in a mirror and see what was, and what had always been. She, on the other hand, was forced to look in the mirror and see what was, and know that it was not how it had always been. For her sake, he had removed all of the mirrors in the lair so she would not be inclined to look into them. Now it was he who did her hair and makeup.

"You would tell me what you thought would make me happy, wheither it be a lie or not," she said plainly, her eyes staring deep into his, her tears drying. "In this case, the lie is blatant."

Erik shook his head, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so shush. You have no say."

Sarine smiled up at him. He always knew the words to say to make her feel worth it again. She sighed, the events of the evening pushed from her mind as he stroked her hair.

"Can you believe that we will be married tomorrow?" she said, ecstatic. "And in less than a month our baby will be born."

"I still can't believe it. I'll be up at the altar and I still won't believe I'm marrying the most beautiful woman in all of Paris," Erik said, smiling and kissing her forehead.

"Wedding vows are so hard to write..." Sarine said, leaning against him.

Erik smiled down at her, "Oh, mine have been done for weeks. I feared they would have gathered dust. Yours?"

Sarine blushed, nibbling on her bottom lip. She was still unable to think of her vows, and it worried her. It shouldn't be this hard to think of a way to express her feelings for him. Still, how can love be expressed in words?

"They're... good. Great. Dusty," she said, not seeing his grin at her lie.

Erik kissed her head and held her close for a moment. then he patted her leg, "Alright, time for bed."

She giggled and climbed off the bed to walk over to her dresser. She pulled out a cotton nightgown and walked back over to the bed. As he dress slid over her head, Erik couldn't help but turn away. From her shoulder all the way down to her waist, her skin was scarred. The entire left half of her body looked like the right half of his face. He turned back around to look at her. Even with the burns, with her enlarged stomach and otherwise perfect body, he was still completely in adoration of her. 'Oh, if she wasn't pregnant...' he thought to himself.

Once she had the nightgown on, Sarine climbed under the blankets. She reached down and grabbed her mask, placing it on the bedside table then looking up at Erik, who was still dressed.

"Coming to bed?" she asked, peeking over the blankets.

He smiled then bent down to kiss her lightly, "In a little while. There are a few things I have to work on."

Sarine nodded and closed her eyes, falling asleep instantly. Erik watched her for a while as she slept, taking her in. As hurt as he was at the time, Erik was glad now that Christine had left with Raoul. He was also glad that Raoul had taken her out of Paris; they had left that night for London, or so Erik had heard.

Finally, when he was sure she was deep asleep, Erik moved from the bedroom out into the main room. He sat down at the organ and unlocked a drawer, pulling it open. There he had placed a song that he was finisheing for their wedding. Granted he couldn't play it now, but he knew how it sounded by heart. This was their song.

Almost three hours later, Erik sighed and put the finished song back into the drawer. He walked back to the bedroom, kicking off his shoes as he climbed into the bed beside Sarine. Even in sleep, she moved towards him. He smiled and wrapped his arm over her stomach, burying his face in her hair. He kissed her head lightly, then whispered an 'I Love You' into her ear before falling asleep.

-P--

The next morning, Erik woke Sarine up. She groaned and peered at his fully dressed figure through one open eye.

"Don't you ever sleep?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

He smiled down at her, "With you at my side? How could I?"

She smiled, but grew frightened when she heard someone in the lair. Walking out to the central part of the lair, she gasped when she saw Amy and Rose standing near the organ.

"How did you get down here?" she inquired happily, walking out to them.

They gave her a hug then moved her to the kitchen, with Amy supporting her by the arm, "Erik brought us down here. Didn't you know that it's a tradition for the bridesmaids to make breakfast for the bride?"

"No," she replied. "If that's true, then where's Tara and Brittney?"

Tara then ran though the door carrying bags of food. She bolted up to the kitchen and smiled breathlessly, placing the bags on Erik's counter.

"I am so sorry I'm late! I had to look everywhere for the entrance to the lair. Brittney wanted me to tell you that she couldn't make it, because Joshua was sick. She will be at the wedding though."

Sarine lauged then her gaze drifted out to the center of the lair. When she saw Erik leaving, she walked over to him and placed her hand on his arm.

"Where are you going? Won't you stay for breakfast?" she asked, looking up into his eyes. Ever since the accident, she didn't want him far from her.

He smiled down at her and cupped her scarred cheek. "This is for the women only. I have things to do besides," he moved to her ear, whispering, "I'm surprised you forgot your mask, dear."

Sarine gasped and her hands flew to her face as she realized her mask was missing. She ran into the bedroom and put her mask on, making sure it was perfectly in place.

Erik watched in sadness, hating the feeling that it was all his fault. Once the mask was completely in place, Sarine walked back out, with renewed confidence, to Erik and gave him a kiss on the cheek, moving to rejoin her friends. Before she could get far, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him, placing a passionate kiss square on her lips. When the action recieved several catcalls from the girls, Sarine blushed a deep red, pullling back. Watching her as she went back to the girls, Erik smiled, then left through one of the hidden entrances. Sarine gave one glance back at his retreating back then turned to her bridesmaids.

"We're getting married today. There is nothing wrong with kissing him," Sarine said, sighing with a smile.

Amy reached out and gently touched Sarine's mask, "You should know by now that we don't care about your face. We're your friends, and we know what happened. You don't have to hide behind this hideous thing around us. You know that."

Sarine sighed, looking down. "If I can't look at myself in the mirror, why would I want other people to look at me?"

Amy lifted her chin then gently removed the mask, "You don't look much different to me. You still look like the cheerful, stage-shy manager of the opera to me."

Sarine smiled, hugging Amy in thanks. She moved to the cabinets and pulled out the required items to make breakfast. Once it was done, they all sat down and began laughing and joking like normal, the mask sitting in the middle.

-P--

Erik, meanwhile, was up in the auditorium, setting the stage up for the wedding. They'd decided to have it there at the opera house, since it was such a steeple part of their life. The heavy, dark curtains were being covered with white satin ones, and a makeshift altar was being placed in the middle of the large stage. According to his plan, he will have walked down the aisle on the left, and is positioned at the altar. Sarine would then walk down the aisle, climb up the side steps, and meet him in the middle. They would then have a normal wedding. But as she walks down the aisle, Erik arranged that the song he wrote for them would be played. He felt so excited and giddy, because he had planned every aspect of this wedding, making it a special surprise for her. She hadn't even seen her dress yet; he'd made it for her himself and wanted her to be as surprised as he.

Needing something to do once the stage was finished, he sat down with some of the other friends who came to help out and began packing the red rose petals into the lace bags, tying them with ribbon. Normally rice was thrown, but Erik felt that the rose petals would mean more to her.

Looking around the auditorium, he sighed, placing the last bag down. He prayed that it would go off without a hitch, after all this. His favourite aspect of the entire decoration scheme was the ribbons that looped from one box to another. They were black, white, and gray, twining around each other to form a beautiful web. Trying to find something else to do, he was surprised to find that they were all ready. So he went to one of the abandoned dressing rooms and changed into a nicer version of his daily attire. His dress suit, including the cape, were all made of the finest materials, making him really look like a ghost floating around. He smiled into the mirror, smoothing his hair back. He was ready.

-P--

Amy, Rose and Tara ordered Sarine to cover her eyes as they brought out the dress Erik had made. They quickly got her dressed into it, then pulled out a full-length mirror from where Erik had hid them. When it was stable against the wall, they instructed her to open her eyes. She did so and stared at herself. Her mouth hung slightly open as she took in the dress. Erik had made it so that there was a corset effect but didn't apply pressure to the baby. The sleeves were long, with extra fabric at the wrists to make it look like the renaissance dress that she loved. The skirt was like her masquerade one, loose and flowing. It hung to the floor, brushing across her toes. She looked up at the embroidery on the dress. Tiny little masks were embroidered in white all across it, ghosting the pattern. She looked up at her mask, noting the clash. She was in all white, except for the mask. So, in a brazen move, she took it off and placed it off to the side, staring her reflection in the eyes. Amy watched her with a smile, and Sarine could sense them all watching her.

"It is my wedding day. I am going to marry Erik, not someone who is hiding who they are. I will walk down that aisle as he met and loved me: unafraid," she said, picking up her veil and placing it gently on top of her head.

Brittney then walked into the room, dressed already. She stopped short when she saw her sister, and let a tear fall. "Oh Sarine..."

The girls ran to each other and hugged one another, overjoyus. The others joined in their embrace, happy to just be friends.

-P--

As the music started, Sarine hesitated before walking down the aisle. She knew Erik was at the altar waiting for her, but she questioned whether taking the mask off was a good idea. Their friends, her family, and quite a bit of Paris was in there, waiting for her to make an appearance. She began shaking, the feelings of stagefright rushing back to her after all these months. She felt nausious, bracing herself against the wall. She clung to her bouquet, then, when she felt stable, she moved back in front of the doors.

Erik was getting worried when, after several moments of the music playing, Sarine did not appear. Perhaps she had second thoughts, and didn't want to marry him. He almost left the stage when he heard the doors open, then he turned to look at his bride. He could do nothing but stare, dumbfounded at how beautiful she looked in the dress he had made for her. Scruitinizing the dress, he noted that he perhaps should have made the veil a little thinner, so she could see. But as she moved closer down the aisle, he noticed that there was nothing beneith the veil but her. His jaw slowly dropped as she continued down the aisle, then walked up the steps. He could see her scarring through the veil, and he began to shake.

When she reached him, she smiled and took off his mask, handing it to Brittney. She turned back to Erik, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Please, Erik. Marry me as you. As I marry you as me."

He reached out with shaking hands and lifted the veil. He moved to kiss her, but Jonathan, his best man, stopped him. "That's not until later..." he said with a smirk.

Erik managed to restrain himself as the priest began the ceremony. Everything went smoothly, then they reached the vows. Erik went first, eager to tell her how he cared.

"No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you. Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears. I'm here, with you and beside you, to guard you and to guide you. Anywhere you go let me go too. Love me; that's all I ask of you."

Sarine smiled at him as he placed the thin gold band on her finger. She looked to the priest, who signaled it was her turn. She took a deep breath and recited her vow from memory.

"Black is for death, darkness, sadness, and despair," she said, wrapping her hands around his. "White is life, happiness, light. One cannot survive without the other. Without light, there is no darkness to compare it to. Without death, there is no room for life. Nothing is just black and white, just varying shades of gray. You are the night to my daylight, you are the darkness to my light. I am incomplete without you."

She placed his ring on his finger and smiled. He looked down at her with tears in his eyes, wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms. He nearly pounced on her when the priest announced, "You may kiss the bride."

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A.N.: The next chapter will be the reception. I was going to try and squeeze it into this chapter, but I don't think you guys can handle much more than this. And I'm sick, so I don't have enough energy to write the reception. I would love it if you guys would review for me. I miss your reviews...v.v 


	20. Chapter Nineteen The Night to Remember

A.N: Haha. As if it hasn't been long enough. But I'm back, and with more chapters. Because my lovers demanded that I continue, because they actually read it. Also, I wanted to finish something in my life. So, here is chapter 19.

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**Chapter 19: The Night to Remember**

As the lobby of the Opera Populaire filled, Sarine began to get nervous. These people could come close to her; they could look directly at her face. And then she looked over at Erik, and felt so much better. He was still unmasked, and also looked scared. But somehow, they gained strength from each other, and was able to shake hands with each person there.

The lobby had been turned into something more festive than it had been during the masquerade. There were colors everywhere, rainbows of light reflected off of crystals that hung from the ceiling on strings. Tables were set up off to the left side, where the hundred guests could sit and eat from the food served by the waiters. The other side, off to the right, was set up for dancing. That was where Erik led Sarine, his one hand holding her own and the other holding her by the waist.

"Will you dance with me, love?"

Sarine looked up at him and smiled, nodding. Moving so that she had one hand on his shoulder and the other in his own, she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I love you, Erik. I love you so much, and I'm glad I married you," she said, kissing his deformed cheek.

Moving his head so that he could see her, he gave her a small smile and kissed her temple. "I wouldn't give you up for anything else in the world."

"Not even the perfect opera?" she asked, pulling back and looking up at him with a grin on her face. "Not even something better than Phantom or Don Juan?"

"Not anything," he said, kissing her fully on the lips. He remembered seeing such a seen back during the masquerade, but between Raoul and Christine. He had been jealous, but now that he saw who he was kissing, he wasn't so jealous. He was happy.

As a slow song played by a solo violin began, Sarine moved forward to rest her head on his shoulder again. Looking out into the crowd, she nearly jumped as she saw a familiar face. It was Christine. She was standing among the crowd, watching them dance. She looked horrified at the fact that Erik's deformed cheek was resting against her own. Glancing up, she saw that Erik had his eyes closed, and hadn't noticed Christine. The smile on his face made one grow on her own, and she looked back to Christine to see her retreating. So, it was finished. There wouldn't be a war between them. Christine had finally seen him happy, and would find happiness with the man that she chose.

When the music came to a close, Erik woke from his half stupor and led Sarine to the head table. Many more people came over to congratulate them, and Sarine had to hold back a huge smile. Even after the events at the reception yesterday, and Erik's history, many people were happy for them. In a time where their deformity would have them hated, that meant something to the both of them.

After the food was finished, Sarine watched in surprise as Erik stood and clinked his glass lightly. Eventually everyone quieted down, and he cleared his throat to speak.

"First, thank you all for coming. You don't understand what it means to me and my wife. We have had to hide for a good two months together, and I for years, due to our appearances. Not everyone has been as understanding as you all, and we thank you profusely for it. Secondly, I wanted to thank my wife." Reaching down, he lifted one of her hands and kissed the knuckles, straightening himself so he could finish the speech. "She was there for me when I was all alone, recovering from heartbreak. I heard her voice in the darkness of the theater, and couldn't help but watch in awe. Listening to her sing, I thought that maybe I could love again. If she could look at me without fear, perhaps I could find love again. And then I heard her request for an opera, and I couldn't resist. I delivered her the story of me and the woman who had caused me heartbreak. And somehow I didn't have to look at her and see Christine. Because Christine couldn't love me like Sarine does. And I couldn't love her like I love Sarine."

Sarine wiped her tears away as she looked up at him, pulling his hand, which was still in her own, down so that she could kiss it. His words made her feel that, even if she came back again, Erik wouldn't leave her for Christine. And now, at last, she knew that he had finally been able to see that she was not Christine.

Everyone clapped and held their glasses up. Sarine held up her glass of cider and smiled, clinking her glass with Erik's and kissing him as he bent down for one. They were happy, and they would stay that way.

After a few hours of dancing and laughing, people started to leave. It was getting late, and everyone was tired. Erik asked Jonathan to carry the gifts that people brought down to the lair, and he carried Sarine down the tunnel and to their bedroom. Slowly, as Jonathan began stacking the gifts near the organ, he changed her into her nightgown and helped her into bed.

"I'll help Jonathan for a moment, and then I'll be right to bed. Don't stay awake, dear. You look exhausted," he said, then leaned down to kiss her forehead.

As she watched him walk back into the main part of the lair, Sarine cringed as she felt a pain in her stomach. Figuring it was just the baby kicking her, she ignored it. But when it came again, and worse, she let out a cry. "Erik!"

He came running in, Jonathan right on his heels. He ran to her and brushed her hair out of her face, afraid of the look of fear in her eyes. She didn't know what was happening, and neither did he. The only one with their head together was Jonathan. "She's having the baby."

Erik looked down at her, fearful. He didn't know what to do. He knew he was considered a genius, yet when it came to women, he was clueless. Luckily Jonathan knew what to do, and he lifted Sarine up and took her back upstairs, Erik following quickly after.

"Where are you taking her?" he asked, panicking.

Jonathan looked at him over his shoulder. "I'm taking her to the hospital. She's going to have this baby soon. Her contractions are unusually close."

As if on cue, Sarine reached for Erik's hand, squeezing it tightly and letting out a cry. Erik kissed her forehead and tried to soothe her. He was scared for her, and even more afraid because Jonathan had said that the contractions were _unusually_ close. That word scared him, and he hoped that Sarine hadn't heard it. Luckily, she was concentrating on the pain more than the words being said around her.

After they climbed into a carriage and began heading towards the hospital, Erik let Sarine rest with her head in his lap. She was still grasping his hand, and he didn't do anything to stop it. How could he? But then he saw her dress get soaked by something wet, and he looked to Jonathan. The young man moved forward to touch the fabric, then looked out the window to the driver, yelling for him to go faster. His glance moved up to Erik.

"Her water broke."

Erik didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing that her water broke, but he clung to Sarine's hand as much as she was clinging to his. This he wasn't used to, and his fear grew each moment.

"We're here!" Jonathan cried as he threw open the door in the front of the hospital, taking Sarine once more in his arms. As Erik protested, he looked at him. "She needs your hand right now more than she needs your arms. Let me carry her and you help her through the contractions."

Erik nodded, finally understanding. As the nurse led them into the maternity ward, Jonathan set her down on a table and moved out of the room, knowing that this was a moment for the husband and wife alone. Erik stood there, continuing to hold her hand and helping her ride over the contractions that made her whole body tighten and her voice cry out.

After what seemed like hours, a doctor came in to help her deliver the baby. After examining her for a moment, he shook his head. "There is something wrong. The baby is upside down."

Giving the doctor a frightened look, Erik yelled, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that this birth is going to be painful. We're not even sure if they'll both live."

Now Erik was truly scared. He looked down at his angel, her face flushed and sweaty against the pillow. He didn't think he could lose her and survive. She was his life, and he had had her back for only a few months. He wasn't about to let her go. So he decided that, if it came down to it, he would rather lose the baby than her.

-P—

Two hours later, after a very hard and painful breech birth, Sarine lay in a hospital bed covered up to her neck in blankets. She was asleep, and heavily medicated. Erik sat in a chair, staring at her. She looked so exhausted, and so spent. She had done well, and was one of the strongest women he had ever met. And then the second one began to cry.

Erik looked down at his new daughter, trying to calm her down. The beautiful baby girl, named Amelie Grey, had dark, nearly black hair and Erik's golden eyes. The nurses in the infant ward had talked about her all night, and how lovely a baby she was. Erik felt so proud of her, just as he was proud of his wife. This was the best wedding gift she could have ever given him.

"She's probably hungry…"

Looking back up at Sarine, he smiled at her, as she looked down at their baby girl. She held her arms out for her, and Erik stood to place the baby in her arms. She hadn't yet gotten to hold, or even really see her. Looking into the golden eyes, Sarine smiled. To her and Erik's surprise, Amelie mimicked her smile and her eyes widened. Moving aside her hospital gown, Sarine moved the baby to her breast and let her begin to drink. Then her eyes moved back up to Erik.

"She's beautiful, Erik. She's as beautiful as I've never been."

Erik shook his head, touching Sarine's cheek. "You've always been beautiful, Sarine. Always. Amelie is just an outward vision of your inner beauty, and the beauty I see every time I look at you. She is yours all the way through."

"No," she said, shaking her head and smiling up to Erik. "She's yours. She looks just like her daddy."

"Honestly, I think she looks like you both."

Erik grinned as he looked over at Jonathan. He shook the man's hand, unable to verbally express his gratitude. "You saved her life. I wouldn't have been able to help her through a breech birth, but you knew she was having the baby. And I thank you."

Jonathan waved his hand. "It was nothing, honestly. I recognized the signs from when one of my maids was giving birth. You recognize them after a while."

Both men smiled and turned to the two women. Sarine had dozed off again, as did Amelie. Erik called a nurse in and had her take the baby back to the nursery. After Jonathan left to give them some privacy, Erik moved to lie next to Sarine. He switched the lights off and curled next to her, wrapping his arm over her waist. Moving his lips to rest next to her ear, he whispered, "I love you" into her ear, before stroking her still-swollen stomach.

"Erik?" Sarine whispered, still half-asleep. "Will you teach Amelie to sing like you?"

"No," Erik smiled, giving her cheek a kiss before whispering back. "I'll teach her to sing like you."

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A.N: Pwah! It's done! Not. There is still one more chapter still left, and it's more like an epilogue than an actual chapter. But you'll figure that out, won't you? Haha. Please. Review. I need more reviews or else I'll think this is stupid… 


	21. Chapter Twenty Epologue

A.N: Well, this is the last one of these you'll all have to deal with. Unless you decide to read another story of mine. I just wanted to use this opportunity to thank my loyal readers. You all have been my inspiration to finish this fanfiction, even through the flames and long spaces between updates. I especially want to thank Poppy and Lodi, for their reviews to each chapter and for pushing me to continue, even when I had given up. I love you guys. 3

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**Chapter 20: Epologue**

"What happened next, Grandma?"

A little girl sat looking up at an elderly lady. Around the storyteller, there was another boy, who looked bored, even if he had been hanging on every word of the story. He had come just so he could say that they were in a graveyard, even if it was also part of a park.

"Well, Serene. That day, the Phantom and his angel took their baby home to the lair. Their lives were fairly uneventful. They lived in happiness, with the two of them running the opera house."

The boy scoffed. "That's stupid. How could they have run the opera house if they were both ugly?"

"That's easy," the old lady said, looking down in sadness at the boy. "You see, after he had shown the world that he wasn't a monster, the Phantom of the Opera was able to stay up in the world of the light. He did it for Amelie, so that the baby girl and her mother could live in the light."

"I think you're lying, Grandma," the young boy said, standing up and walking around in circles. He had no patience, like little boys did. "Everyone knows that the story of the Phantom of the Opera and Christine is just a story. I think you used our names to make a story so we wouldn't be bored."

The elderly lady looked at the boy. Him and his sister Serene were twins, and were only eight years old. His name was Eric Charles, and hers was Serene Lotte. Their grandmother remembered the day they were born, and how she had cried when her daughter named them after the characters in her favorite story.

"Oh? And how would you explain Leroux's first words? 'The Opera Ghost really existed'? Do you call him a liar?"

"Yes! He was a lunatic who didn't know what he was talking about. I've been to the opera, sat in Box Five, and never had an encounter with the ghost."

Laughing, the old lady looked at him. "Just because he was _called_ the Phantom doesn't mean he was immortal, Eric."

"Yeah, Eric!" his sister cried, standing up and moving over to him. "You just hate love stories."

The boy huffed and moved away from the two. He leaned on a gravestone and watched the two ladies. Even if he was only eight years old, he still felt like he was responsible for their safety.

After Serene moved back to her grandmother, she puffed up her pale blue skirts and sat down on the bench next to the older woman. "What happened afterwards? With Christine and Raoul? Did they ever come back?"

"Yes, they did," the lady said, looking down at the girl. "When Amelie was about twenty years old, they came to visit. Having not ever met them before, Amelie never understood why her parents would have such animosity towards the other couple. When they had begun to shout, Amelie sat down next to the strange boy they had brought with him. And they both listened to the argument, not understanding what was going on."

-P--

'You are not welcome here, Christine!'

Christine looked up at Erik, surprised at the anger in his voice. She had liked to remember that his voice was only kind, and angelic. She had only heard this harsh side of his voice once: When she had taken off his mask.

'I didn't think that we would be so unwelcome,' she whispered, looking out over the lake in the lair. 'I regret what I did, and have regretted it since the day it happened. Can't you understand that I'm trying to make amends?'

Sarine looked at her, her mouth agape at what she was hearing. 'Trying to make amends? Make amends! You tried to kill me, Christine! You locked me in a barn, and almost killed me and Amelie. You didn't care then, and you surely don't care now.'

The saddened woman turned, tears running down her cheeks. 'I regretted it!' Wiping her tears, she took a step towards the masked woman. It hurt for her to see the mask, and know that she caused what was under it. 'If Erik hadn't come soon, I would have gone in there myself!'

'Liar,' Sarine hissed, slapping the woman. 'You would have left me there to die, telling Erik some sob story that you tried to save me, but couldn't.'

Raoul took a step forward, stepping between the woman and holding his wife delicately in his arms. 'Sarine, Erik, please. The past is the past, and it can't be undone. The only thing we can ask is forgiveness for what we've done in the past. The world gave you a second chance, after you had killed many people, Erik. Can't you give us a second chance as well?'

As Sarine moved into Erik's arms and lay there, trying not to smell that smoke, see the flames, feel them licking her skin, Erik petted her hair and looked at Raoul. And he realized that they were mirror images of each other. They weren't that different. Here he was, his old rival, holding onto the woman he loved as he tried to comfort her through her sobbing. And each woman was holding on to her husband, her anchor. They each relied on their men for strength, and the men relied on their wives for assurance. And though Raoul's assurance wasn't that he could be loved through his looks, he still had to be told that Christine loved him.

'I suppose everyone deserves a second chance,' Erik said, causing Christine to look over at him.

Sarine, too, looked up at him. And she saw something different in his eyes. Admiration. She had never seen him admire anyone in his life, and yet that look was there. Moving to see where his gaze was settled, she was even more astonished to find it was on Raoul. Why would he be admiring of Raoul de Chagny?

'Sarine, Christine. I think it's time for you two to apologize. You both have done things to each other that weren't right, and now it's time to make amends.'

Both women stared at Erik as if he had spoken another language. They couldn't stand to be in each other's universe, let alone be speaking to the other.

'Erik, what are you—'

"Sarine, please,' he asked, cupping her cheek with his palm and kissing her forehead. 'I wouldn't be asking this of you if I didn't think it was the right thing to do.'

Studying his face for a moment, Sarine nodded and kissed Erik before turning to Christine. When the other lady turned around, Sarine had to look away. When her gaze landed on the two on the couch, and how perfect they looked, she forced her gaze to Christine. Her eyes were still red, and she looked as if she was desperate for this chance to apologize. As she took a step forward, Sarine thought of all of the things she wished to say to Christine. Most of them were words of loathing, and hatred. And then there was one more: thankfulness. She realized that if Christine hadn't left Erik, the opera house wouldn't have been burnt and she wouldn't have come into possession of it. And then she would have never met Erik. Even the fire had turned around in her mind: If her face hadn't been burned, then she and Erik would have one less thing to love each other for more than anyone else.

'I'm sorry, Christine. I'm sorry for my harsh words, and for my striking you.'

Christine looked at Sarine, and burst out into a sob as she pulled her into an embrace. 'I'm so, so sorry. For the fire, for hurting Erik, for. For. For everything…'

As Sarine held Christine, she felt like she was comforting a child. In a sense, her mentality was that of a child, not having had the chance to really grow up. Petting the girl's curls, she tried giving her soothing sounds to calm her.

Watching from the couch, Amelie sighed. The boy looked over at her, and lifted her hand and kissed it. He had insisted that his parents come here, and meet his love's parents. What he didn't know was the history between the two. And yet, it brought him and Amelie together. If the events of the past hadn't occurred, he might not have been able to meet his lover.

'Charles, please come over here. You too, Amelie.'

They both stood up and walked over to the group, hand in hand. 'Yes, father?'

Raoul looked down at the boy. 'Now, was there something you wished to ask Erik? And Sarine?'

'Yes, there was,' Charles said, looking at the masked man. His mother was still being comforted by Amelie's mother, and he found that odd. 'Monsieur, I've known your daughter for a good two years now. And have consequently fallen in love with her.' Giving her a smile, she nodded, urging him to continue. 'I have also come to believe that these feelings are reciprocated. So I now come to you to ask for your permission to marry your daughter Amelie.'

And the room went still. No one spoke, they just stared at the two youngest couple.

'M-Marry?' Sarine asked, looking at the boy. Then she shifted her gaze down at Amelie. Her daughter had grown up so fast, and she never dreamed of the day that she would have to give her permission for her to get married.

Erik, on the other hand, gave a grin. It was funny, the way things came around. The son of one couple fell in love with the daughter of the couple they formerly hated. And he just had to look at the two to see that they really did love each other. The tightness of their hands in each others, the closeness of their bodies. The hopeful look in their eyes. It reminded him of the way he looked when he was at the altar with Sarine on their wedding day.

'I wouldn't allow anyone else, Charles.'

-P—

"So they got married?" Serene asked, her eyes wide. "I thought that they wouldn't be allowed, because of what happened."

"But you see, Serene. Erik and Sarine had managed to forgive Raoul and Christine. Everyone deserves a second chance at everything. At life, at school. At music, at games. Even at love. And in that moment, when they each realized that, they grew to love each other. It was the two young adults who brought them together, with their love."

Even as Serene was smiling and wishing she had that kind of love, Eric was shaking his head. "I still think it's a stupid story. I mean, who would believe that after all of that hatred, they would not be angry anymore."

"When you have a reason to forgive, like they had Charles and Amelie, you find it in your heart to give pardon to even the most heinous of things," the grandmother said.

"That's stupid," Eric muttered. "I would still hate them."

"And that in itself would be considered worse than what had occurred between them."

"Grandma," Serene asked. "If the Phantom and Sarine lived in the opera house, where are their bodies? Didn't they die?"

The old lady nodded, looking down at the girl. "I'm sure that they're here somewhere, in one of these graves, they rest together."

After a few moments of silence, the old lady sighed. "Okay, my loves. I think it's about time for us to head home. How about you go on to the carriage and I'll meet you there in a moment."

The twins nodded and ran off, waving hello to an elderly man being pushed into the graveyard by a nurse and driver. The lady nodded at the man as he passed, but he didn't seem to see her. The nurse pushed him to a distant grave, and he stood up, placing something near the headstone. The elderly lady smiled, and looked at the gravestone that her grandson was leaning against. Walking over to the back part of it, she kneeled down at it. Placing three roses against the grass, she closed her eyes and listened.

Floating on the wind were voices. One would think they were being carried from the opera house not far down the road, but the woman knew better. One voice was deep and seductive, wrapping around her mind like a spell. The second voice was one she had heard many times, singing to her in her sleep. It was sweet and high, with a mellow alto. The third voice was similar to the first, except a little less mature. It sounded like a younger woman using an older woman's voice.

'_Say you'll share with me_

_One love, one lifetime_

_Say the word and I will follow you_

_Share each day with me each night_

_Each morning…'_

A small smile fell on the woman's face as she listened, then as she heard a commotion at the far off grave, she furrowed her brow and watched as the nurse and driver were trying desperately to revive the old man in the wheelchair. Apparently, the walk to the grave had been too much for the old man, and he had died. And then the voices came back to her, and she looked up at the sky. There was something she hadn't heard in the voices the many times she had heard them: a second male.

'_Anywhere you go let me go too_

_Love me, that's all I ask of you…'_

A tear slid down the woman's cheek as she nodded, and a smile slid across her lips. They were together now, with each other. Leaning down to touch the roses, one white, one black, and one grey, she sighed.

"Thank you, mother. You taught me to sing. And you too, papa. For making my voice soar."

She stood up and walked away from the gravesite, she went to the carriage. As she reached it, she was surprised to see Eric jump out of the carriage. "I forgot my scarf! I'll be right back."

He had seen his grandmother's reaction at the grave, and he had to know. Stopping at the grave, he looked down at the roses and then at the gravestone. He knew this was his great grandparent's grave, but he couldn't believe what he saw. The headstone, which he had previously leaned against, was plain. There were no dates, simply a picture and an epigraph. The picture was what looked like a full-faced mask, but it was cut into two overlapping masks. One was white, and the other black. The center, where they crossed, was a dark gray. Leaning down, the boy touched the words under the mask as he, too, for the first time, heard the voices sing across the wind:

"Le Fantome et son Ange."

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A.N : It's finished. And if you didn't cry, I have to say that writing this, I did. I hope you all enjoyed my story, and hope that it touched at least one of you. 


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